Clippers Must Have Urgency on Trade Market After Derrick Jones Jr. Injury

The Los Angeles Clippers can't waste any more time before finding a Derrick Jones Jr. replacement on the trade market.

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The Los Angeles Clippers' six-game win streak came to an end on Saturday against the Boston Celtics. Despite the disappointing blowout loss that pushed the Clippers to 12-22 for the season, the bigger loss came with nine minutes left in the game. After Payton Pritchard fell on Derrick Jones Jr.'s leg on a loose ball situation, the Clippers forward exited the game early.

Clippers fans were fearing the worst, but it was announced on Sunday that it was a Grade 2 MCL sprain, the same injury Jones suffered earlier in the season. While it may not be a season-ender, Jones' injury will keep him sidelined for at least the next six weeks. This means that he will almost certainly miss the 20 games the Clippers have until the All-Star weekend.

By the time Jones returns, it will be past the trade deadline, and the Clippers will have played at least 54 games. Whether the Clippers are going anywhere this season or are headed for a lost campaign will already have been determined at that point. Therefore, the front office has no choice but to be active on the trade market to fill Jones' shoes before the season gets out of hand for the Clippers.

Clippers Have to Be Active on the Trade Market After Derrick Jones Jr. Injury

The Clippers are already short-handed after Bradley Beal's season-ending injury and Chris Paul's departure from the team. Bogdan Bogdanovic is also without a timetable to return. Jones' absence means that the Clippers are down to 10 healthy players on standard contracts. That is why the Clippers are playing James Harden and Kawhi Leonard nearly 40 minutes per game and rely on two-way players like Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders.

This is not a sustainable winning formula. The Clippers desperately need more capable depth pieces, preferably on the perimeter. Without Jones, the Clippers have a dearth of athletes. Not only is Jones arguably the best athlete on the team, but he is also one of the few three-and-D players on the roster.

Missing one more forward from the rotation will put even more pressure on Kawhi Leonard, risking running him into the ground. Jones was spending a lot of time guarding the best wing on the opposing team. Without him, Leonard's defensive burden will likely increase. The Clippers have no choice but to add a player who can ease this burden without being an offensive liability.

Even though there is a month until the trade deadline, the Clippers can't wait much longer before making a move due to their precarious position in the Western Conference standings. Bringing in an athletic defender via a trade, presumably using Bogdanovic or John Collins' salaries, should be of the utmost priority for the Clippers.