Clippers Have an Ideal Trade Partner for Their No. 5 Pick

There may be teams interested in the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

Apr 8, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Clippers were arguably the biggest winners of the 2026 NBA Draft Lottery, going from not having a first-round pick to landing the fifth-overall pick. Now begins the difficult part: what should the Clippers do with the No. 5 pick?

GM Lawrence Frank will presumably consider multiple options, including trading down in the draft. Considering that all of the best prospects projected to be selected around No. 5 are guards and that the Clippers have other positional needs, there could be an interest in moving down in the lottery. This would allow the Clippers to add more future draft capital or get a veteran contributor in return.

Fortunately for the Clippers, they may have an ideal trade partner waiting for them further down the lottery.

Bucks & Clippers Could Find a Win-Win Trade Before 2026 NBA Draft

The Milwaukee Bucks, armed with the tenth-overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, could be interested in moving up. Even more interestingly, they may want to acquire the pick outright.

In fact, that is what NBA insider Chad Ford speculated in his appearance on The Kevin O'Connor Show on Yahoo Sports. Ford said the Bucks may view the Clippers' fifth-overall pick as a way to kickstart their rebuild. If that is Milwaukee's plan, Giannis Antetokounmpo could be in play for the Clippers.

It would take more than just the No. 5 pick for the Clippers to acquire Antetokounmpo. The Clippers would have to give up a haul, including most of their draft assets.

However, a trade built around Antetokounmpo is only one possible route. There are other players on the Bucks roster who could be of interest to the Clippers.

The Clippers need a starting center. Myles Turner would presumably be up next once Giannis is traded. Could the Clippers acquire Turner as part of a draft-day trade involving a pick swap? LA also needs more shooting, and AJ Green is one of the best shooters in the league. Perhaps the Clippers can find a way to acquire him.

A trade that has the Clippers moving down from five to ten while acquiring Turner and Green could make some sense. LA would have to include matching salary in this deal, but this type of construction should be something the Bucks are interested in.

Milwaukee needs to prepare for a post-Antetokounmpo world. They have a better shot at finding a future star at No. 5 than they do at No. 10. The Clippers, on the other hand, can find an immediate contributor who is a better positional fit with the tenth-overall pick. This makes these two teams potential trade partners between now and the NBA Draft in late June.