Los Angeles Clippers Showing Trade Interest In All-Star Point Guard
Entering the 2022-23 NBA season as one of the top championship favorites, the Los Angeles Clippers have not looked like a team that has what it takes to contend for a title this season.
They have not been bad, as they currently find themselves with a 23-22 record, but Los Angeles has yet to win more than three games in a row this season and consistency has been a big issue for them, especially given that guys are in and out of their rotation on a nightly basis due to injuries.
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George continue to be held out what seems like every week due to injuries and as a whole, this experienced Clippers roster has underachieved based on the expectations placed on them.
Currently eight games out of first-place in the Western Conference, Los Angeles must begin to put things together if they are to earn home court advantage in the first-round of the postseason and at this rate, simply avoid the Play-In Tournament region of the Western Conference standings!
There is still plenty of time for them to turn things around and with the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, the Clippers could very much go out and spend money to upgrade their roster, something they have not been afraid to do in the past.
Who the Clippers would be willing to part with in trade talks is unknown at this time, but they were linked to Utah Jazz point guard Mike Conley recently. According to NBA insider Marc Stein, Conley has come up as a potential target for Los Angeles in recent trade rumors.
This is a little surprising given that the Clippers have both Reggie Jackson and former All-Star point guard John Wall in their backcourt, but Wall is expected to miss the next two weeks with an abdominal injury and Jackson was recently moved to the bench due to his struggles after starting for a vast majority of this season.
It appears Los Angeles could be interested in shaking things up in their backcourt and Conley would surely aid them in their championship pursuit, especially since he is a proven veteran that can hold his own on both ends of the floor.
Shooting 39.1 percent from three-point range since the start of last season, Mike Conley could give Los Angeles yet another off-the-ball shooting option on the perimeter and Conley is a terrific facilitator, as he currently has about a 4.5:1 assist-to-turnover ratio on the season in Utah.
At this time, the Jazz have not shown a willingness to make the veteran point guard available in trade talks ahead of the deadline, but currently 22-24 on the season, the Utah Jazz could very well end up being sellers this season.
Should this be the case, Mike Conley will certainly be a player many teams including the Clippers will look to pursue.
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