Clippers Trade Rumors: The perfect trade to make with the Cavaliers

The latest Clippers trade rumors entail that the Cleveland Cavaliers are interested in two different Clippers’ players. For LA, the perfect trade is simple.

Things are not looking too bright for the Los Angeles Clippers. The team is not responding well from the loss of Chris Paul; LA is barely in the playoff picture with a 23-22 record. In fact, the only notable news for the Clippers was when Paul returned and a now-infamous scuffle ensued. Things have been dry for LA, that was, until the latest Clippers trade rumors.

With Los Angeles not in any place to contend for the NBA Championship, their tradable pieces have become the forefront of discussions. DeAndre Jordan, Lou Williams, Austin Rivers and even Blake Griffin have been tossed around the heap.

The defending Eastern Conference Champion Cleveland Cavaliers are reportedly interested in two of those guys; shooting guard and exceptional bench scorer Lou Williams and rebounder/defensive help DeAndre Jordan. Jordan has been a fit the entire year, talks of the package have emerged recently.

Fans may be hesitant to buy into the idea of trading the duo. However, with no real shot at anything in 2018, the Clippers perfect trade to make with the Cavaliers becomes evident.

The trade:

It is time to go all-in on sucking this season for the Los Angeles Clippers. As great as Blake Griffin is, as much potential as the team has, 2018 needs to be a year to build upon. This deal initiates this, secures their future and is the best possible trade to pull off.

Quite frankly, the Clippers are most likely going to lose Jordan and Williams, anyway. Williams is an unprotected free agent this season and Jordan has a player option. Even if he does stay, Los Angeles only has one more year with the center.

The package of Frye and Thompson looks to the future. Thompson is a young center that the Clippers can experiment, or even trade, in the future. While Frye may not be the most polarizing name, his expiring deal gives the Clippers cap space for the future.

Most importantly, though, is that Nets’ first-round draft picks. Reports indicate that the Cavaliers may hesitate to trade the pick. If LeBron James leaves again, that pick is the team’s security. However, that Nets’ pick is only slated to be in the 5-8 range; you can’t really fill the void LeBron leaves behind with that kind of pick.

Thus, the Clippers now have a top-five caliber pick. On top of that, the team is getting rid of two of their top three producers. Now, Los Angeles looks much more like a 30-35 win team. A 30-52 finish would have been the sixth-worst in the NBA last season. Now, the Clippers have two picks in the top eight.

Los Angeles can then bring in two stars to put around Blake Griffin, or, package the two picks to move up in the draft. A team like Philadelphia or Boston, who both could own high draft picks, may be more inclined to add depth with two picks; neither need a superstar in the top-three.

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Thus, the Clippers get a guy like Luka Doncic to put around Blake Griffin to form a new star duo. They still have a solid center in DeAndre Jordan and they will have anywhere from $25 million to $50 million in cap space, solely based on who opts in and out of their contracts.

The ultimate factor in the Clippers’ favor, though, is indeed Griffin. They have something the Lakers, who are chasing stars, do not have — a star already on the roster. That opens the door for a guy like Paul George, who has always wanted to play in LA, but needs another star to compete with.

Then, the Lakers could have a starting five of Patrick Beverley (if he re-signs), Luka Doncic, Paul George, Blake Griffin and Tristan Thompson and a bench led by Danilo Gallinari and Milos Teodosic. THAT is a scary team.

And it all starts with the Clippers trade rumors around DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams. If the Clippers want to do something special, trading those two to the Cavaliers is necessary.

Next: Realistic trades for Blake Griffin

The rest of the league better watch out for any deal of this nature. Not only do these Clippers trade rumors make the Cavaliers much scarier, they make the future of the Clippers much brighter.