Mark Blinch/Getty Images
The Los Angeles Clippers host: Jordan Poole
The Washington Wizards receive: Norman Powell and PJ Tucker
The Clippers apparently had their reasons for to balk at Paul George’s original asking price, but subtracting it puts this team in a strange position. The goal should be a title race since Kawhi Leonard and James Harden are still around, but they can’t make much noise on their own.
LA doesn’t have a ton of assets to use in a trade, though, and it’s unclear how smart a full-on move would be given this club’s uncertain potential. The Clippers might be open to something like this, though: buying a previously productive player for pennies.
Poole got a bad rap in the District, but he was a big help in Golden State’s 2022 title run. At age 22, he got meaningful minutes for the first time and was third on the team in points (18.5) and assists (4.0). He carried those rankings into the playoffs, during which he posted 50.8/39.1/91.5 shooting.
“We wouldn’t have won a championship in 2022 without him,” Klay Thompson told The Athletic. Anthony Slater in December.
In the right situation, where he’s needed on offense but not solely responsible for the success of an offense, Poole can have an impact. The Clippers, without George, need that kind of player if they’re going to make any kind of run with Leonard and Harden.
Derrick Jones Jr. and Nicolas Batum can help replace some of George’s defense and versatility, but there’s still a significant role to play as a scoring forward for someone like Poole.
As for the Wizards, they could do somersaults if they could free themselves from Poole’s contract without enticing someone to take it away from them. That’s what’s happening here, but on the condition that Washington doesn’t get anything back that it will keep.
The hope would be to find one or two assets in a future trade for Powell, a useful veteran who makes a reasonable salary. The Wizards could also try to deal Tucker, but he would be an obvious buyout candidate once that trade is completed.
