NBA Trade Rumors: With Mason Plumlee sidelined, the LA Clippers are eyeing a possible trade for a veteran big.
It’s been an up-and-down first few weeks of the regular season for the LA Clippers, with both their good and bad moments. The good side of things for the Clippers is that they finally finalized a trade for James Harden, and they didn’t have to give up Terrance Mann. However, the bad side of things is the fact that it hasn’t been smooth sailing integrating Harden into the lineup next to Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
The Clippers are 0-3 since they officially traded for Harden and 0-2 with him in the lineup. To add injury to insult, backup center and key contributor Mason Plumlee suffered a left knee MCL sprain and is expected to miss as much as two months. Without much depth in the frontcourt, it leaves the Clippers with a big hole at the center position.
According to another recent report, the Clippers will likely be in the market for a backup center. They’re likely going to explore the trade market over the next few days and weeks and the one target that could be on their mind is Daniel Theis.
How aggressive will the LA Clippers be in their pursuit?
The big question is, how aggressive will the Clippers be in their pursuit of a veteran backup big. It’s unclear at the moment but looking at their depth chart, it’s clear that the Clippers probably have to make a move sooner rather than later.
At least for now, P.J. Tucker is listed as the team’s backup power forward and center. In short, especially after gutting some of their depth in the Harden deal, that’s far from ideal. But this early on in the season, the market for a backup big may not be as robust as the Clippers would like it to be. And that could complicate their current pursuit of a backup big.
Add in the fact that the Clippers don’t have that many assets at their disposal, and that will add another wrinkle to this entire goal.
In fact, the Clippers just have a few second-round picks and a couple of young pieces that they’d likely be willing to move in a potential deal. That could make it increasingly difficult for the Clippers to find a legit backup big.