Los Angeles Clippers would be foolish to trade Miami Heat draft pick
By Jason Reed
The Los Angeles Clippers obtained a very valuable trade chip in the Tobias Harris trade to potentially use this offseason: an unprotected first in 2021 from the Miami Heat.
The Los Angeles Clippers did everything right this season. Despite getting eliminated in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, the Clippers overachieved immensely and made great moves away from the court as well.
Perhaps the biggest win by the Clippers was trading Tobias Harris to the Philadelphia 76ers for some serious assets. In that trade, the Clippers landed a solid young point guard in Landry Shamet that will be a role player in the years to come as well as an unprotected first-round pick from the Miami Heat in 2021.
That pick is expected to be a great pick by the time the 2021 draft rolls around. The Heat are in salary cap purgatory and there is a very good chance that the roster is completely depleted in two seasons, making the Heat a high lottery team.
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Teams realize this and this is why the Clippers traded for the pick, it is a very valuable asset that the front office has in its back pocket for the next two years.
And that is the important part about the pick: it is in the back pocket for the next two years. There has been some talk that the Clippers could and should use that pick in a package for Anthony Davis this summer, which would be foolish.
First of all, a Davis trade is not a great idea because the team would be selling out on everything it’s built to go after Davis, who could leave after one year. Jerry West and company are far too smart to make that mistake.
But it is not just a Davis trade that should be avoided. The Los Angeles Clippers should avoid trading that pick at all costs, even if there are some intriguing options available on the trade market.
The Heat blowing up in the next two years is a very real thing. The value of this pick can only go up from here as the Heat get worse and prove in two seasons that they are a high lottery team.
Cashing out now would be selling too low on the stock and would not allow the team to gauge all the options that are available. While the front office should be inclined to trade the pick eventually, there could be a much better potential trade down the road that the Clippers miss out on if they pull the trigger too early.
Don’t do what the Philadelphia 76ers did, essentially. The 76ers were desperate and thought that Harris would cement a title-run for the team. While it might be worth it somewhat if Harris re-signs with Philly, it still was a desperate trade that the Clippers capitalized on.
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The Los Angeles Clippers have the salary cap space to have a very exciting summer with free agents this offseason. Let’s focus on that, not on the team potentially trading away that pick.