Trade grade for the Clippers
The LA Clippers got substantially weaker this offseason following the departure of Paul George. While they still have two, perennial All-Stars in Kawhi Leonard and James Harden to anchor the ship, it’s a pretty dicey proposition to rely on such a massive injury risk and a declining star.
By most accounts, it’s difficult to envision the Clippers being anything more than a playoff team in a jampacked Western Conference. Depending on how they fare this season, where “things-going-completely-awry is not outside the realm of possibility, a fire sale could soon commence for the Steve Ballmer-owned squad.
LA has handcuffed itself into a brazen win-now edict since the late 2010s and they have no future assets to bank on and leverage. As a result, if they want to start futureproofing, they will have to part with their more attractive commodities.
Trading Batum would be a bummer for a team that fits him like a tee, but he should be able to net them relatively worthy assets. KJ Martin won’t account for much, but the impending barrage of second-rounders (presumed part of an actual offer) they can extract from Philly would be a big win.
Grade: B+