The Los Angeles Clippers have continued to shock the NBA with their ability to contend in games without their star Kawhi Leonard. Yet, there are always ways you can improve your roster in the NBA through the trade deadline.
Hoops Hype recently released an article discussing NBA trade rumors and how the Los Angeles Clippers could address their needs before February 6th.
Potential Trade Candidates For Los Angeles Clippers
Hoops Hype brings two Clippers into consideration: PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland.
PJ Tucker is on an expiring contract worth $11.54 million. He is entering his 13th year in the NBA and has yet to see the court this season for the Clippers.
$11.54 million is a ton of money for someone who doesn’t play and there are plenty of NBA teams who would benefit from the presence of a veteran like Tucker. Hoops Hype believes that Tucker is destined to be a salary filler in a trade or a part of the buyout market.
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Bones Hyland is a young guard who was once seen as a player who had All-Defensive 1st Team potential before finding himself traded to the Los Angeles Clippers by the Denver Nuggets in the 2022-23 season.
During his time as a Clipper, Hyland has struggled to live up to the hype he received during his rookie campaign. With the addition of Kris Dunn this offseason, Hoops Hype believes that the writing is on the wall for the former Nugget.
Hyland will be a restricted free agent this offseason and is still 24 years old. Many teams may be willing to take a chance on the potential of Bones Hyland.
How Likely Are These Moves?
I believe that PJ Tucker will not be a part of the Los Angeles Clippers franchise by the time the trade deadline passes. It is more likely that he becomes a buy-out candidate rather than the Clippers finding someone to take on his contract.
It is possible that he is used as a salary dump if the Clippers decide to pair him with someone like Mo Bamba or Bones Hyland in order to get a more established veteran to play minutes off the bench.
Bones Hyland is a very interesting piece of the Clippers roster. Unlike PJ Tucker, Hyland has been playing at least some minutes in LA.
Bones has been averaging 4.6 points, 0.5 assists, 0.8 rebounds, 0.8 steals, and 6.6 minutes per game through 23 games this season.
It has been difficult to give Hyland minutes behind James Harden and Kris Dunn, so it is definitely easy to see the Clippers give him up for a second-round pick or package him alongside other Clippers.
Are there other Clippers on the trading block? Very possibly. I think the only Clippers who are completely safe are Norman Powell, James Harden, Ivica Zubac, Derrick Jones Jr, and Kawhi Leonard. Everyone else on the roster is an option, in my opinion.
Terrence Mann and Jordan Miller are both super intriguing players who could offer value to most teams in the NBA.
However, I don’t think at this moment in time the Los Angeles Clippers are going to be big buyers at the trade deadline. I think Coach Lue is set on his team at the moment as they wait for Kawhi to return. But, you never know. The NBA is one of the most unpredictable leagues in the world.