Lakers: Three Trade Pitches To Outfit Some Clippers In The Purple And Gold
Let's just get this out of the way right now: there's almost no way that your Los Angeles Lakers and their opponents tonight, the Los Angeles Clippers, would in reality make a trade together.
The two teams are more or less bitter nemeses, with the big-money, little-brother Clippers still desperate to crawl out from the shadow of their big brother Lakers.
That said, here are some hypothetical deals that could work for both clubs:
1. Lakers Send Patrick Beverley To Clippers For Nicholas Batum
This would be a straight-up exchange, wherein a Clippers fan favorite (to the extent that the Clippers have fans) would be shipped back to Steve Ballmer's franchise, in exchange for a solid combo forward 3-and-D player, who at $10.8 million a year is a bit overpaid for his role at present, but who remains a better two-way option than either Juan Toscano-Anderson at least.
2. Lakers Send Patrick Beverley, Two Second-Rounders To Clippers For Luke Kennard
Kennard, a knockdown shooter, is on a slightly generous contract this season within a crowded wing rotation. Would the Clippers be amenable to parting with the better player in the deal for a proven veteran locker room presence, plus some draft equity? Maybe. From a Lakers perspective, this would be a no-brainer for a team bereft of taller wing shooters (Kennard is 6'5", while the 6'1" Pat Bev is playing at shooting guard due to a logjam of point guards on the Lakers). The 26-year-old is averaging 8.7 points on .489/.462/.950 shooting splits in 22.1 minutes per game off the bench, but he's also a bit overpaid on longer-term money (he's under contract through 2025), so maybe the Clips would be okay parting ways.
3. Lakers Send Russell Westbrook, Two Unprotected First-Rounders To Clippers For Kawhi Leonard
A 2016-18 Oklahoma City Thunder reunion might be fun in the regular season for the Clippers, and it would help replenish the club's draft assets. Kawhi Leonard's health has become so unreliable that he's now a tough player to trade, although he has looked great (when available) recently. Would the Clippers accept two potentially-lottery-worthy first-round draft picks for a short-term downgrade, punting on their present to improve their future? Probably not. But maybe they should.
