Clippers HC Ty Lue Teases a Quiet Trade Deadline in Latest Remarks

It may be a quieter-than-expected trade deadline for the Los Angeles Clippers.

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After an impressive turnaround that saw them move all the way up to the tenth seed in the Western Conference, all eyes are on the Los Angeles Clippers ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. Clippers fans are curious to see whether the front office will aggressively pursue upgrades to go for it in the second half of the season.

Head coach Ty Lue poured cold water on the expectation that the Clippers would be active at the trade deadline. Speaking to ClutchPoints' Tomer Azarly, Lue said, "In our situation, I don’t see much movement, so I think we’ll be good," when asked about the deadline.

Ty Lue's Remarks Signal a Quiet Trade Deadline for the Clippers

There is obviously more than ten days between now and the deadline, so things can certainly change. For now, however, it's safe to assume that Lawrence Frank & Co. aren't actively looking to swing big on the trade market.

This may be disappointing to hear for the fanbase, but it's also understandable. Even though the Clippers won 14 of their last 17 games, they are still below .500. They still have a ton of work to do before they can feel good about their playoff chances. Investing significant resources into a team that is not guaranteed to make the playoffs is a risky proposition. At the end of the day, the Clippers are still one James Harden or Kawhi Leonard injury away from disaster.

Plus, the Clippers are already bereft of future assets. They don't have any promising young players that has significant trade value. They can only trade up to two first-round picks and have two second-round picks that they can move. Using those in a deal would leave the Clippers' coffers completely empty. Considering that they are in the final years of the Kawhi Leonard-James Harden era, the Clippers' unwillingness to mortgage their future any further makes sense.

This doesn't mean that the Clippers will be silent at the deadline. Chris Paul will definitely get traded. Kobe Brown and Cam Christie could get moved to create roster space so that the Clippers can sign Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller to guaranteed deals. Bogdan Bogdanovic and his expiring contract could be a way for the Clippers to acquire another capable rotation player.

While those possibilities remain on the table, the Clippers will almost certainly not make a blockbuster trade over the next ten days. Whether that ends up being the right approach will be determined later in the spring.