Los Angeles Clippers: Three players that could become trade bait

1. Sam Dekker

Sam Dekker was acquired as part of the sign and trade deal that sent Chris Paul to the Houston Rockets. Paul practically dictated that trade, as he could have walked away for nothing, so the return the Clippers got was far less than they would’ve received for multiple years of Chris Paul.

In the trade was a mix of established role players and younger players that had potential. Forward Sam Dekker was that piece; at only 23 years old at the time of the trade, Dekker was expected to make big leaps on the Los Angeles Clippers with an extended amount of playing time.

However, those leaps ultimately were not made. The former first-round pick actually regressed statistically and saw less time on the court, despite playing in 73 of the team’s 82 games. Dekker averaged 12.1 minutes per game, scoring 4.2 points alongside 2.4 rebounds.

Dekker’s potential as a power forward is still there, so his value in a potential trade could help land a star like Kawhi Leonard. Dekker definitely is not a deal breaker but could be an added bonus that the Clippers can send to San Antonio that won’t hurt the team. If anyone is going to get the most out of Dekker, it is Gregg Popovich.

If the Los Angeles Clippers want to go the route of bringing in youth, keeping Dekker around and giving him a prominent role is the most efficient use of his talent. However, if the team wants to contend, dealing Sam Dekker may be inevitable.