Does this trade make sense for the Los Angeles Clippers?
While Ivica Zubac, Patrick Beverley and Luke Kennard all have made a difference in different ways this season for the Clippers, adding Kemba Walker to this team would immediately make them a much better team. This trade scenario would definitely hurt the Clippers’ overall depth, but offensively, they would have three top-tier players who can contend for a championship together.
Losing Ivica Zubac definitely hurts the Clippers both youth wise and production wise, but they would still have Serge Ibaka, assuming he stays next season, and they would be getting Tristan Thompson, who would be in the final year of his contract.
At this point in his career, Patrick Beverley is not the championship-level point guard the Clippers need, which is why they should be more than willing to move him. He is still an elite-level defender and makes a difference in that aspect of the game for Los Angeles, but overall, he cannot handle the load they need him to anymore.
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Kemba Walker is owed a lot of money over the next few seasons and the Clippers’ ownership/management would have to pay a lot of money to put this team out on the court, but contending for championships at the highest level is the goal of this franchise, which is why they will be willing to do anything in order to do so.
To put in perspective the difference Walker would make for this team, he is not having his best year with the Celtics, yet he is still averaging 17.6 points, 3.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and is shooting 39.7% from the floor. Put this kind of production on the Clippers right now instead of Beverley, Kennard and Zubac and they are likely tied with or ahead of the Utah Jazz, who hold the best record in the Western Conference.
It seems unlikely that the Celtics would get rid of Walker unless they were receiving a high-level talent or a lot of draft compensation in return, but if they are desperate and are truly looking to move Walker for any value they can get, then this trade makes complete and total sense for the Los Angeles Clippers to pull off.