Grade the Trade: 76ers land superstar forward in mock offseason blockbuster

Does trading Paul George make sense for the Clippers?

Now, why in the world would the LA Clippers trade Paul George when they are heavily favored to retain him for the long run? Well, it makes zero sense in the rpesent, but factoring in the what ifs tell a different story.

Should the Clippers bow down early in the playoffs as they have in its previous four iterations, the front office should heavily consider re-tooling its roster, not just on the margins, but perhaps at its nucleus. Kawhi Leonard has just been re-signed, and while trading George could throw him off, the weight of the superstar playing in his hometown is still too great for him to overthrow and re-do a San Antonio-esque tantrum.

The thought of swapping him for Tobias Harris, a pure scorer with little else in his game, is a downgrade in and of itself, but removing one less mouth to feed for LA could unlock a new dynamic for their offense, especially with Leonard and potentially James Harden still in town to ensure their staying power among the powerhouses in the West.

However, the more important part of this theoretical swap is the Clippers restocking their depleted draft capital. LA is unlikely to shy away from their firm win-now approach, but recouping draft picks for much better future-proofing could be too good of an incentive to decline if they put together another early playoff ouster.

Grade: C+