LA Clippers no longer shopping Lou Williams ahead of trade deadline

Los Angeles Clippers, Lou Williams, NBA Trade Rumors
NBA Analysis Network

The LA Clippers were as happy as any team that the NBA All-Star break arrived. They ended the first half on a three-game losing streak and losers in six of their previous nine games.

Despite those struggles, the team remains in the fourth spot in the Western Conference, only four games behind the Utah Jazz. However, the trade chatter surrounding the team was beginning to pick up, as people figured that the team would look to make an upgrade to help get them back on track on the second half of the season.

Point guard and another big man have seemingly been pinpointed as the needs for the Clippers. The team was reportedly shopping Lou Williams and Patrick Beverley, and there isn’t much depth at center outside Ivica Zubac and Serge Ibaka. If they are going to upgrade their roster, it sounds like it will be smaller moves because they no longer will be using Williams as trade bait.

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According to the subscription-based, The Athletic, Williams is no longer being shopped by the Clippers. The early-season struggles, which compounded his Magic City incident and poor play in the Orlando Bubble, have been overcome.

“The combination of Williams’ leadership and much-improved play after his early-season slump have gone a long way toward re-establishing his pivotal place in their program.”

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That is quite a 180 from where the team was in previous weeks. You know there had to have been some serious discussions about moving Lou Williams if he went on record and said he would retire if the team traded him. But, he has done enough to get back into the team’s good graces.

He is playing the fewest minutes per game since his second season in the league, but he is making the most of them, connecting on a career-high 39.8 percent of his 3-point attempts. The team is comfortable with him running the second unit and will continue to do so with the trade rumors now behind him.

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