Could the LA Clippers Pursue Fred VanVleet Trade?

It was reported by ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday afternoon that Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet would be declining his player option and entering unrestricted free agency. Wojnarowski added that a new deal with the Raptors has not been ruled out by VanVleet, but there are teams with and without cap space that could pursue him.

"There are teams with and without salary cap space who'll have the mechanisms to pursue VanVleet, who has consistently shown himself to be a lead guard with the capacity to impact winning for the Raptors," Wojnarowski wrote. "There were several contending teams who discussed VanVleet trade deadline deals with the Raptors. Those conversations could be revisited in free agency."

The LA Clippers were one of the teams heavily linked to VanVleet at the trade deadline, but Farbod Esnaashari of AllClippers reported through sources that Toronto was seeking Terance Mann and potentially a first round pick in exchange for VanVleet, which was too steep of an asking price. With Toronto's only path to a VanVleet trade now being a sign and trade, could a deal to the Clippers make more sense?

A lot has changed for the Clippers since those trade deadline discussions, including their point guard situation, which currently hangs on Russell Westbrook's free agency. The Clippers have been open about wanting Westbrook back, but with limited financial flexibility, they could easily be outbid.

From comments made by team president Lawrence Frank, along with Paul George's continued advocacy for Westbrook to remain with the Clippers, it's reasonable to assume that re-signing the future Hall-of-Fame point guard would be LA's first choice. That said, if Westbrook were to seek a bigger deal in free agency, it would again leave the Clippers with a point guard vacancy that they would presumably look to fill with another proven veteran. This is where a VanVleet deal could be revisited.

As for a potential VanVleet trade package, Toronto's asking price would have to come down significantly from where it was at the deadline. While VanVleet is a productive player, his efficiency plummeted last season, and any team completing a sign and trade for him would not only be parting with assets, but they would be committing significant money as well. For those reasons, Toronto's deadline asking price of Mann and a first is not realistic.

Now faced with the possibility of losing VanVleet in free agency for nothing, Toronto's asking price in a sign and trade - particularly one with the Clippers, would have to be closer to a combination of expiring contracts and one pick. If Westbrook walks, and the Clippers find themselves with a point guard vacancy again, this is the only way a VanVleet deal would make sense. That said, even this scenario is far from ideal.

As previously mentioned, any team trading for VanVleet would not only be parting with assets, but they would also presumably be committing to a multi-year deal. This is where things become more complicated for the Clippers, even if a potential sign and trade package only included expiring deals.

Already historically deep into the luxury tax, committing long-term money to a player like VanVleet, when both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have player options for 2024-25, is a hard sell. For this reason, it's hard to see a realistic VanVleet deal that makes sense for the Clippers this summer.

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