Many NBA teams have been at the front and center of trade deals or at least potential trade talk. Many of the potential trade deals have involved Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving as significant features. One team that is surprisingly not in the trade spotlight are the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers are known to have made big trades to acquire the star talent to challenge the league with the team they have right now. While the Clippers have a few holes on the team that could be made through the off-season, they may not need to acquire another star player. Several rumors have revealed that Golden State Warriors star power forward Draymond Green is potentially linked to the Los Angeles Clippers to potentially relieve salary cap issues. Here are the reasons why Draymond Green should not be traded to the Clippers.
Why the Los Angeles Clippers Shouldn’t Trade for Draymond Green
The Clippers already have stellar defenders at the power forward
While Green is not the premiere offensive player that the modern NBA loves, his defense is elite and ranks among the top great players currently in the league. The Clippers are a team that has several great big men on their team. Marcus Morris, Nicolas Batum, and Robert Covington are players that immediately come to mind when it comes to their leading power forward. Marcus and Nicholas are players that have long-standing relationships and chemistry already with the Clippers. Covington is a young and explosive player that can potentially provide for the Clippers’ future and could legitimately have starting time this season.
Covington had the best defensive efficiency in 23 games played with the Clippers at 103.7. He finished the season with L.A. averaging 10.4 points, 1.3 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game. He also proved to be a tenacious three-pointer shooter as he finished with a 45% three-point shooting percentage. Center Ivica Zubac had the third-best defensive efficiency among active Clippers, behind Covington and Paul George, at 107.5. Batum quickly followed by finished with a defensive efficiency of 108.6. He also accounted for a field-goal shooting percentage of 46.3% and a three-point shooting percentage of 40%. Morris averaged 15.4 points per game, the third most on the Clippers, who played more than five games. He finished with a defensive efficiency of 112.5 as he was the primary defender of the season. Once the full team comes back, there will be less pressure on all of these players.
Batum, Morris, and Covington already have great team chemistry
Batum, Covington, and Morris are highly efficient on both ends of the court and have great chemistry with the team. Green has been known to push some buttons of teammates like Durant. Kawhi Leonard is open to playing a highly emotional player who can openly challenge his teammates like Jimmy Butler wanted him to join the Clippers before with Miami. On the court and in the locker room, Leonard is not a player who enjoys antics. We learned this with Montrezl Harrell when he created drama with the team during the 2020 NBA Postseason Bubble. It is best to keep the locker room as positive and chill vibes as possible. Green is the opposite of chill, which works for him.
There is also the notion that Draymond Green has repeatedly slammed the Clippers as a whole. In the 2022 ESPYs, Green interrupted teammate Steph Curry by creating his own skit, saying, “I’m live from LA, home of seven professional teams and the Clippers.” This comes less than a month after Green called the Clippers “a real threat” on his podcast.
The Clippers are one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, full of talent throughout the court. The Clippers already have great chemistry, especially with the addition of John wall. There is no need to ruin it by adding dramatic antics of Green. While Green is an elite defender and a role player on offense, the combination of Batum, Covington, and Morris makes up for Green’s exclusion.
