Clippers Must Pursue Elite Sharpshooter Expected to Be on the Trade Block

The top priority for the Los Angeles Clippers this offseason is to make sure Kawhi Leonard remains a part of the team. Once that is taken care of, GM Lawrence Frank has to build a team good enough to be competitive in the loaded Western Conference. The most obvious hole on the roster is at center. Yet, that is not the only weakness.

There is a desperate need for more shooting. The Clippers' best shooters last season were Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland. Having your two best creators also be your best shooters is not a winning formula. Leonard and Garland need to be surrounded by elite shooting so that they have enough space to operate.

Michael Porter Jr. Should Be a Clippers' Target This Offseason

That is what makes Michael Porter Jr. of the Brooklyn Nets a fascinating fit in LA. Not only is MPJ one of the best three-point shooters in the league, but he also has great size and plays a position of need for the Clippers.

Porter Jr. had an excellent season in Brooklyn last season, proving that he is much more than an off-ball threat. He had a career-high usage rate and was able to maintain his efficiency despite minimal talent around him. A career 40% shooter from downtown, Porter Jr. brings as much spacing from the power forward spot as you can get in the NBA.

There are certainly defensive concerns with MPJ, but thanks to his size, strength, and rebounding chops, he can be a part of successful defenses.

MPJ's contract status makes him a complicated yet ideal trade target. He is due $40.8 million next season, so matching salaries in a potential trade will not be easy. Fortunately, the Clippers have enough cap space that they can take back more salary than they send out.

Sign-and-trade involving Bennedict Mathurin or John Collins, or opt-in-and-trade involving Bogdan Bogdanovic, could be a way to send enough salary to the Nets. Players under contract, like Derrick Jones Jr. and Isaiah Jackson, could also be a part of the deal. The Clippers would also need to attach draft capital in this trade. They will have four first-round picks to trade after the 2026 NBA Draft, so they could use one or two of them to facilitate this deal.

Porter Jr.'s contract expires after next season. He will be extension eligible this summer. The Clippers can either extend him on a team-friendly deal or let him play on an expiring salary and re-evaluate their options next year. This would give them a season with the Garland-Leonard-MPJ trip to see how good they can be.

The Clippers would still need to get a quality starting center, either through the trade market or free agency. That remains the most important need, but Porter Jr., as the third fiddle next to Leonard and Garland, would make the Clippers significantly stronger, regardless of who they get at center.

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