How This Trade Impacts LA Clippers
The LA Clippers are in a tough spot for the 2021-22 season. Without a concrete timetable for Kawhi Leonard to return, they are going to be without their best player for a large chunk, if not all of, the 2021-22 season.
Despite that, the team should still be looking for ways to improve. One way is by upgrading in the middle and acquiring Christian Wood and Danuel House Jr. from the Houston Rockets.
House will help with some depth on the wing. He gives more insurance in case Terance Mann and Justise Winslow are unable to adequately do the job. It would be a chance for all three to prove they can handle the job and win the backup job for when Leonard returns to the lineup.
As for Wood, he would slide right into the starting center spot, pushing Serge Ibaka to the second unit. That could help preserve Ibaka, who is recovering from a back operation. Playing fewer minutes off the bench will keep him fresher.
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Wood came into his own in his first season with the Rockets and would provide the LA Clippers with a go-to scorer in the frontcourt. He is a capable floor spacer, knocking down 37.4 percent of his 3-point attempts last season. It is part of that unicorn combination for a big man, as he can shoot threes and protect the rim defensively.
Los Angeles would have the makings of a legitimate Big 3 with George, Leonard and Wood, three two-way players that can be difference makers on both ends of the court. They lose some depth in this deal, but the Clippers are always going to be a possible destination for veterans who are bought out during the season and can replenish their depth that way.
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The LA Clippers love their hypothetical acquisition of Christian Wood and House in this scenario. Do the Houston Rockets like their end of the deal? Let’s take a look at it from their perspective.
