Next Clipper to Be Traded Is Obvious After James Harden's Abrupt Exit

The Los Angeles Clippers have to make ensuing moves after trading James Harden to the Cavaliers.

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James Harden is no longer a Los Angeles Clipper. Just when it seemed like the 36-year-old superstar had found his long-term home, Harden pulled off an unexpected move, requested a trade, and got himself dealt to the Cleveland Cavaliers with less than 48 hours left before the deadline. In return, the Clippers got Darius Garland, who has the chance to be a starting point guard in LA for a long time.

Heading into this week, the Clippers had no plans of trading Harden. In fact, Ty Lue and the top brass were signaling a quiet trade deadline, considering the team's impressive turnaround. Now, the unexpected Harden trade augurs more moves. The Clippers have to reshuffle the roster around the Darius Garland-Kawhi Leonard-Ivica Zubac trio on the fly.

What the Clippers need the most after Harden's exit is more scoring and playmaking. Even in his age-36 season, Harden is an elite floor-raiser on offense. When Kawhi Leonard was off the court this season, Harden was still able to lead the Clippers to a solid 118.4 offensive rating when he was on the floor. He is one of the best players in the league at carrying limited offensive groups to success on that end of the floor. Thanks to his durability and ability to play long minutes, Harden alone means an above-average offense for any team he is on.

Bogdan Bogdanovic Is the Obvious Next Trade Candidate for the Clippers

Now, the Clippers have to find a way to replace Harden's production. Garland will obviously help a ton, but LA needs more juice on offense, especially considering Garland's injury concerns. This means an immediate need for more scoring, shooting, and passing.

The best way the Clippers can acquire more offense is through another trade. The most obvious trade candidate is, therefore, Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Serbian shooting guard is completely out of the rotation and doesn't seem to be in Lue's plans. He has already missed a large portion of the season with a hamstring injury and has been very disappointing when he has been available.

Bogdanovic will become a free agent in the offseason, making his $16 million expiring salary an attractive trade chip. The Clippers can attach draft capital to Bogdanovic's contract and get back a true offensive difference-maker.

The Clippers could have easily talked themselves into standing pat before the James Harden trade. They had little reason to make radical changes after winning 17 of their last 22 games. Now, they simply can't treat the rest of the deadline as business as usual. They went from one of the most durable point guards in the league in Harden to a player who underwent toe surgery in the offseason and is currently sidelined with a toe injury. Therefore, the Clippers have no choice but to turn Bogdanovic into another high-level offensive player that they can trust in the rotation.