The Los Angeles Clippers have made major headlines over the last few days by trading for James Harden. The Clippers also made another deal, sending rookie Filip Petrusev and cash to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday afternoon. The Clippers received the draft rights of 2015 second-round choice Luka Mitrovic, according to Los Angeles Times Andrew Grief.
Update on the Clippers deal sending Filip Petrusev to Sacramento. He’s being traded with cash in exchange for the draft rights to Luka Mitrovic, per source.
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) November 2, 2023
NBA Rumors: How the Los Angeles Clippers Will Fill Out Roster After Recent Trades
While the trade of Petrusev may seem minor, it creates a numbers problem. According to Law Murray of The Athletic, Petrusev, who the Clippers acquired from Philadelphia as part of the Harden deal, was not in the team’s plans and was not expected to remain with the team. It was thought that the Clipper would waive the 23-year-old Serbian, whose contract was nonguaranteed through Jan. 10. But the Kings had an open roster spot and a need with Trey Lyles remaining out with a calf injury.
With the two trades, the Clippers have brought in Harden and P.J. Tucker. Meanwhile, the Clippers have sent out five players, leaving them with just 13 on their roster, which means they have two open spots. Under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, LA has 14 days to fill at least one of those spots. Teams also can carry fewer than 14 players on standard contracts for up to 28 days.
What Do the Clippers Need?
Los Angeles fell to 3-2 on the season with its 130-125 loss to the LA Lakers, snapping their 11-game winning streak against their co-Staples tenants. Kawhi Leonard (38), Paul George (35) and Russell Westbrook (24) combined for 97 of the Clippers points.
While neither team defended exceptionally well, there were two main differences in the game. Transition defense and fouls. The Clippers allowed the Lakers to score 23 fastbreak points and were whistled for 31 fouls, which resulted in 36 foul shots. The Lakers made 27 of those attempts from the charity stripe. Meanwhile, the Clippers managed just nine fastbreak points and were 17 of 27 from the free-throw line.
In addition, the Clippers bench was a combined -45 in plus/minus rating as they tallied 17 points on 7 of 19 shooting from the field. Tucker and Kobe Brown went scoreless, albeit they took only two shots, and combined for five rebounds– all Tucker’s — in nearly 27 minutes of action.
Los Angeles already had one of the top starting lineups in the league, and that was without Terance Mann, who had earned the starting small forward job but has yet to play. With Harden in the mix, the Clippers should at least be the top passing team in the Association.
The Clippers bench has been average this season, and the trade hurts their depth in the frontcourt. Norman Powell and Bones Hyland have carried the unit, though Mann’s return will greatly help. Tucker should be able to help defensively and on the glass.
Their biggest need is frontcourt depth. Tucker, Brown, Mason Plumlee, and Moussa Diabate (two-way) are their reserve frontcourt players.
Who Could the Clips Pursue?
There isn’t really too much available on the open market. Wenyen Gabriel, JaMychal Green, Rudy Gay, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Nerlens Noel, T.J. Warren, Kevin Knox, Dewayne Dedmon, Khem Birch, Dwight Howard, and Darius Bazley are some of the most prominent players. Dedmon, Robinson-Earl, Birch, Howard, and Noel make the most sense.
The Clippers could convert Diabate’s deal to a standard contract and sign another player to a two-way pact. Regardless, it is expected that the Clippers will leave the 15th spot open to allow them some flexibility.
