Subscribe
Follow Us
There was plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers a few weeks ago, especially after their blowout defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets a few weeks ago. For a team with lofty championship aspirations, the Clippers' performance did not inspire confidence; in fact, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George still choosing to sit out the second legs of back-to-back sets, there seemed to be inescapable doubt surrounding the Clippers' ability to snap out of their rut.
But a lot can change in a few weeks' time. The Clippers seem to have heard all the noise and they have stepped up in recent weeks, winning six of their past seven games. Their only loss came on, surely enough, the second night of a back-to-back set. Kawhi Leonard, in particular, has looked like his old self in the past few weeks, and come postseason time, there may not be a scarier sight than a locked in version of the two-time Finals MVP.
Nonetheless, it's clear that the Clippers remain on the prowl for potential upgrades with the NBA trade deadline approaching. Two areas that the Clippers are looking to bolster are their floor general and backup center situation. And with plenty of midsized contracts on their books, it won't be too difficult for them to cobble up the requisite salary to pull off these trades.
However, some members of their supporting cast should prove to be more important than others. Whether by virtue of giving them additional defensive versatility or a different offensive dimension, the Clippers should be wary of dealing away these two pieces with the NBA trade deadline looming.
Clippers will regret trading away Robert Covington and Luke Kennard
John Wall has not been the game-changing presence at point guard the Clippers hoped he would become when they signed him this past offseason. And as a result, in year four of the Kawhi Leonard and Paul George era, the Clippers are still hunting for a floor general to steady the ship, especially when their offense bogs down and devolves into a barrage of contested jumpshots.
Thus, it' no surprise that there have been plenty of reports linking the Clippers to a potential trade for Fred VanVleet, Kyle Lowry, and Mike Conley to strengthen the team at point guard. After all, the Clippers have a glut of wings behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and it simply makes sense to offload from a position of strength to shore up a weakness.
But any trade the Clippers were to make before the NBA trade deadline passes should not involve Robert Covington and Luke Kennard.
It's not exactly clear why there have been stretches where Covington has found himself on head coach Tyronn Lue's doghouse. Perhaps this decision has come as a result of Covington's extremely limited offensive game, and he doesn't exactly provide anything that Nicolas Batum does not.
Nonetheless, for a team leaning into its identity as a 3 and D wing-heavy team, it's hard to find a forward as defensively versatile as Robert Covington is. Covington has experience as a small-ball 5; for a team making a deep playoff run, it's important to retain players who can hang defensively with the best scorers in the game all the while not being a total zero on offense. It's not a coincidence that Covington played his most minutes this season against the Dallas Mavericks, a team known for its perimeter-centric offense.
Meanwhile, Luke Kennard remains one of the best sharpshooters in the NBA. He's shooting a torrid 45.3 percent from deep; plus, it's not like he's a purely standstill shooter. He can also make a few plays off the bounce when needed. While he may not be the most defensively impactful, he should remain a quality piece that fits like a glove alongside the Clippers' superstar duo.
Moreover, it bears mentioning that it's unclear whether the Clippers need a point guard upgrade of such a huge magnitude; they will surely have to relinquish their precious few draft assets just to nab those three aforementioned floor generals. To that point, Terance Mann has also performed well, especially defensively, as LA's starting point guard.
But if the Clippers were to insist on acquiring a new point guard (or a backup center, for that matter), they should look on trading away Marcus Morris Sr. and John Wall first before Covington and Kennard.
Morris has had his moments in a Clippers uniform, and he has been especially crucial for them when Kawhi Leonard and/or Paul George are out. Moreover, Morris has proven that he too can hang against small-ball outfits defensively. But with an eye towards the postseason, the Clippers may not miss Morris' shot creation skillset too much when Leonard and George are around, especially with Norman Powell breathing fire as of late.
Not a lot has to be said about Wall; Clippers fans collectively groan when he pulls up from downtown, his efficiency woes continuing to take a turn for the worse.
At the end of the day, it may not be the worst idea in the world for the Clippers to stand pat. With Leonard rolling at the moment, the Clippers might find it best if they don't rock the boat too much. Here's to hoping that they remain healthy for the stretch run.
