The Los Angeles Clippers have been surfing lately, riding a 13-3 record to recover their footing after a 6-21 start. Interestingly, they only began to ride their wave after waving goodbye to 21-year NBA veteran Chris Paul, who wore out his welcome in L.A. essentially by openly criticizing the team’s strategy. Obviously, Paul had a good reason to be miffed by the Clippers stumbling out of the gates of what he hoped to be his retirement tour. Nonetheless, his negative reaction to their troubles has led Los Angeles to believe their locker room would be better off without him.
Best Trade Proposals For Clippers Rumored Targets
Now, they’re looking to move Paul, hoping to sustain their momentum through the rest of the season.
Help Wanted: Ball-Handler & Playmaker
Weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers’ ‘little brother’ touched base with the Sacramento Kings about a trade that would’ve been headlined by DeMar DeRozan and Keon Ellis, according to HoopsHype insider Michael Scotto. In return, the Kings would’ve received John Collins and salary-filler. However, the Clippers “do not appear” motivated to trade Collins due to their turnaround and the part he’s played in it, according to ClutchPoints beat reporter Tomer Azarly.
Unless Sacramento is willing to trade DeRozan to the Clippers for a different package, they may not be amenable to a trade. Shockingly, Azarly mentioned that L.A. has had interest in Milwaukee Bucks forward Kyle Kuzma as far back as 2024, when he was with the Washington Wizards. Yet, whether they’re still in the market for Kuzma given his rapid post-D.C. decline is worth questioning.
So, where does that leave Los Angeles?
In search of a ball-handler and playmaker, “players that have been linked to the Clippers over the last several days are (Charlotte Hornets guard) Collin Sexton, (Boston Celtics guard) Anfernee Simons, and (Chicago Bulls guard) Coby White.”
Collin Sexton, Charlotte Hornets
The best trade that the Clippers could make for Charlotte Hornets guard Collin Sexton is this:
Clippers receive: Collin Sexton
Hornets receive: Chris Paul, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Brown
In this scenario, the Clippers land a high-octane hybrid guard with a scoring mentality.
Though Sexton isn’t the most polished passer, he’s an adequate enough facilitator to consistently make plays for others. He gets teammates into position when initiating the offense. He’s a willing passer who often eschews his score-first mindset to run play. He has a knack for delivering the ball to big men on the drive. He also routinely makes surprisingly adept drive-and-kicks.
With career averages of 18.5 points and 3.7 assists per game, he can certainly take some of the weight off of James Harden’s shoulders.
All L.A. has to do?
Trade three players who aren’t even in their rotation. From their side, it’s more-or-less an obvious choice. However, rival teams usually require draft capital in these types of scenarios.
Notably, Paul –though a North Carolina native –will be a buyout candidate upon arriving in Charlotte. At the same time, the Hornets could hope that —due to his experience and accomplishments— Paul can be the mentor that LaMelo Ball has never had. Frankly, if any amount of Paul’s seriousness rubbed off on Ball, it would benefit their franchise.
Anfernee Simons, Boston Celtics
If the Clippers don’t want to trade Collins, then acquiring Boston Celtics guard Anfernee Simons could be complicated. This is partially because Simons is on a $27.6 million expiring contract and Collins has a $26.5 million expiring contract. The 28-year-old forward-center simply makes it easier to work with the math. However, it’s also worth mentioning that Collins has been a rumored trade target for the Celtics since at least 2021.
With that in mind, there isn’t really a feasible scenario in which Collins remains on the West Coast if a trade between Los Angeles and Boston goes down. To make the salaries match otherwise, the Clippers would have to trade some combination of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., Brook Lopez, Kris Dunn, Bradley Beal and Nicolas Batum. Simons is a very good player but he may not mean more to L.A. than key defenders and shooters like Jones, Lopez, Batum or Dunn.
Plus, even if the Clippers offered up Bogdanovic, Batum and Dunn (Batum and Dunn will make more than Beal this season), they would still have to trade another player to match just Simons’s salary.
It’s not logistically impossible, but it is improbable.
As a result, this is the most reasonable trade proposal the Clippers can make for Simons is this:
Clippers receive: Anfernee Simons, Chris Boucher
Celtics receive: Chris Paul, John Collins, Kobe Brown
Here, Los Angeles lands a crafty combo guard who’s a natural scorer and particularly adept from 3-point range. They also open up a roster spot to promote two-way standout Jordan Miller to a standout contract. They’ll miss Collins’s combination of low-post scoring, outside shooting and shot-blocking. However, two-time NBA champion Chris Boucher is a versatile frontcourt defender whose athleticism and guard skills make him useful on offense as well.
Coby White, Chicago Bulls
Trading for Chicago Bulls guard Coby White shouldn’t be too difficult. Here’s a deal that works for both sides:
Clippers receive: Coby White, Jevon Carter
Bulls receive: Chris Paul, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kobe Brown, protected 2031 first-round pick
Understandably, the Clippers want to hold onto the few first-round picks they have. Nevertheless, White’s a 25-year-old guard with high-level scoring instincts and deep range on his 3-ball. He’s agile, assertive and also accountable. So, to get the backcourt help they’re looking for, Los Angeles may have to part ways with one of those prized picks. That’s especially true if they’re only giving up players they aren’t truly high on.
With that being said, the Chicago Bulls are in no man’s land. They know it. Their fans know it. Being unable to reach the upper limit is what actually motivated them to re-work, re-tool, and eventually overhaul their roster over the past few years. However, during their reconfiguration, White got lost in the shuffle. Once considered to be a prime candidate for their point guard of the future, he’s been bypassed by Josh Giddey.
This hasn’t prevented the Bulls from playing the two together. In fact, the trio of White, Giddey and Nikola Vucevic form the Bulls’ 14th-most used three-man lineup. Nevertheless, they’re not the most complementary backcourt duo, especially on the defensive end. Just think, despite having several quality defenders, Chicago ranks 26th in opponent’s points per game (120.0).
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