4 Clippers Most Likely to Be Traded After Ty Lue Teases Quiet Trade Deadline

The Los Angeles Clippers are unlikely to make a blockbuster trade, but these four players are still in danger of getting moved.

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

After starting the season 6-21, the Los Angeles Clippers were expected to be active at the trade deadline to make massive changes to the roster. Since then, they have been the best team in the league and climbed all the way up to a play-in spot in the Western Conference. Understandably, the trade chatter has died down, and most signs are pointing towards a relatively quiet trade deadline for the Clippers.

In fact, head coach Ty Lue all but confirmed this earlier in the week, saying, "In our situation, I don’t see much movement, so I think we’ll be good," when ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly asked him about the trade deadline.

However, this doesn't mean that the Clippers won't make any trades. It just means that a blockbuster deal involving multiple first-round picks and key rotation players is unlikely. At the bare minimum, the Clippers will still make moves to open up roster spots so that they can sign Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders to guaranteed contracts. Let's take a look at who the most likely trade candidates are on the Clippers' roster.

Chris Paul

This is an obvious one. Chris Paul hasn't been with the team since December 3rd. His time in LA has already come to an end, and it's only a matter of time before he lands on a new team. He will not net the Clippers any assets in return, but should help give them an additional roster spot and cap flexibility. A release or a buyout remains on the table if the Clippers can't find a trade partner.

Kobe Brown

Despite the Clippers desperately needing more depth, Brown has been out of the rotation. He is firmly behind the likes of two-way players like Miller and Sanders in the pecking order, so he will likely lose his roster spot to one of them after February 5.

The third-year player has failed to take a step forward and doesn't have an NBA future once his rookie-scale contract is up. The former first-round pick is a prime trade candidate, but will not bring back anything of value.

Cam Christie

Paul and Brown are the two most likely trade candidates in LA. Christie's case, however, is a little more complicated. The 20-year-old shooting guard has some potential and has shown flashes as a capable shooter. Yet, he has been so inconsistent in such a small role that he is certainly not untouchable. At the end of the day, he has only made 26% of his threes for his career, a big reason why he has been in and out of the rotation.

If any team treats Christie as a positive value and wants to give up a decent second-round pick for him, the Clippers will probably listen. He could also be included as a sweetener in a deal involving Paul or the last name on this list.

Bogdan Bogdanovic

If the Clippers make a bigger move for a high-salary player, the outgoing asset almost has to be Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Serbian sharpshooter has been dealing with injuries since joining the Clippers and has been unreliable as a rotation piece. He hasn't been effective when he has been available, either. This makes his $16 million expiring contract a potential trade asset for the Clippers.

No team is going to trade Bogdanovic's contract as a positive asset, so the Clippers need to add draft capital if they want to acquire a difference-maker. If Lawrence Frank decides to "go for it", consider Bogdanovic gone.