The 2024 NBA draft has been called one of the worst drafts of the last few decades by many. A lot of teams were even avoiding 2024 picks in return in trades as the picks were deemed to be lower value firsts due to the view of the draft as a whole. However, every draft has very talented guys regardless of whether or not they were thought to be top guys on draft day. This year’s draft is mostly thought to be bad due to the lack of star power at the top. There is not a consensus guy at the top and there are 5 guys who you could make a case for at #1. However, if you read about the prospects from 15-45 on big boards, it is pretty evident there is quite a bit of talent in this draft even if those guys won’t be multi-time all stars. Thus…an opportunity. The clippers are starved for young talented players. They have some guys who have value around the league but not a ton of value. And they have salary cap issues looming with limited ways out given the new second apron restrictions.
Thus, the clippers need to be creative to create some more flexibility and get younger. In other words a minor Re-Tool. We know they aren’t going to move PG, Kawhi, or Harden this summer. So how can they get younger with this gridlock of a roster and one second rounder at pick 46? Trade for a first rounder. Most years this would require assets we don’t have or can’t afford to trade. This year? We have guys on our roster who can likely fetch a first rounder this year who otherwise wouldn’t get us a first. The guy who best fits this description is Norman Powell. Because of his contract most teams wouldn’t trade a first for him. But in this draft with his shooting numbers last year he could likely get us a late first in this draft. More importantly, if he were dealt for a first to a team with cap space, we would save a lot of money that could bring us under the second apron even if we resign harden and PG. 19 million a year off the books. And if we get under the second apron, all of a sudden we can also add a player on the mid level exception. So all of a sudden that trade becomes a huge win for us not only due to the young talent acquisition but even more so due to the salary cap flexibility (for this year and next year). Or we could hold off on the MLE and give young guys more opportunity. Regardless due to the trade being with a team that has salary cap space we would get a large Trade Player Exception (TPE) which could be valuable to give us flexibility to add players without salary cap space.
Which teams could potentially be a fit for a Norm trade?
The Magic (#18) – they need shooting badly and another playmaker to help out Paolo and Franz. If they know PG is coming back to LA, they’ll need to use the cap space somehow. Not a lot of better shooters than Norm available. Pick 18 may be a bit high for Norm however.
The Wizards (#26) – they need NBA players badly. Norm can be a vet to help stabilize things somewhat but is not good enough to impact their tank for next year. Could see him as a guy who would have more value to them in 2025 when he is on an expiring deal and could either contribute to an improved young wizards team who is competing for the play-in or could be a nice trade deadline piece on an expiring deal.
There are other teams in desperate need of shooting who don’t currently have a late first round pick however this doesn’t mean they wouldn’t still be a good trade fit – we could arrange a 3 team swap similar to the Clippers Nets Pistons 3 team deal that brought the Clippers Luke Kennard for Shamet with the 19th pick going to Detroit instead of the Clippers because of their preference for Kennard instead of the 19th pick (Saddiq Bey).
One of the reasons this draft is so critical for the clippers is that it comes before the new league year in July – which means it is an opportunity to make deals to get under the second apron (gain offseason flexibility) prior to the start of the new league year.
So who are some players who are underrated in this draft who we could target with a 1st round pick and our second round pick to get younger and legitimately more talented? Here’s a list:
C Kel’el Ware (mocked late first)
PF/C DaRon Holmes II (mocked late first)
SG/SF Jaylon Tyson (mocked late first)
SG/SF Justin Edwards (mocked second round)
-Was the #1 HS player in his class. Unlike a lot of other past #1 recruits who disappointed in their freshman season, he showed a great motor and improved throughout the season)
PF Jonathan Mogbo (mocked second round)
-Great defensive potential with speed + length + athleticism, flashes offensive versatility with good vision and developing jumper, underrated due to level of competition)
PG/SG Tristen Newton (mocked late second round)
-Has super high basketball IQ, big PG, plays at his own pace, never rattled, performed at an elite level on the best team in college basketball the past two years but was always a team guy)
Here are some videos of these guys who may not be lottery picks, even this year, but seem like the guys who will be in the group of 5-8 players who end up being solid starters or role players in this league for years to come despite the lack of pre draft hype.
Ware: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YPZlmqunHao
Holmes: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_TCF3vfnMmw&t=32s&pp=ygUMZGFyb24gaG9sbWVz
Tyson: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8fRvncQ1lvw&pp=ygUMamF5bG9uIHR5c29u
Edwards: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=sZNRf4ekTFE&pp=ygUOanVzdGluIGVkd2FyZHM%3D
Mogbo: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=fAVnp-ByzbA&pp=ygUOam9uYXRoYW4gbW9nYm8%3D
Newton: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0y_hLT1Zmk4&t=313s&pp=ygUOdHJpc3RlbiBuZXd0b24%3D
by PalpitationFew4762
8 Comments
Appreciate your hard work. Won’t matter who we get if the coach don’t play them.
I would not trust this FO to draft anyone who can play meaningful minutes. In the last decade, we have only drafted 2 players capable of playing in the NBA and we traded one of them
Whoever they draft will be out of the league in 3 years since they won’t develop them
Honestly, the Clippers can probably buy a first round pick for cash considerations.
If it’s that shit of a class might as well.
Every year there’s a possibility that a team can hit gold after the lottery. This year is no different in spite of being a weak class overall.
Given that we appear set on running it back with our core Big 3 members, it doesn’t really make sense to buy/trade up in the draft to get a player that won’t see enough floor time to develop. Better to get a late 2nd round player that doesn’t mind being stashed overseas/assigned to the G-League for his first couple seasons.
However, if the FO assesses that PG is going to bolt in free agency, then I would be on board with buying/trading for higher picks and hoping we get a Mann/Zubac caliber player from a very late 1st or early 2nd.
You obv put time into this, but this FO/HC either draft like crap or won’t play youth at all. It’s something Ty did in Cleveland too. So it’s pointless. Just get use to old brittle slow dudes waiting to be injured.
With the 2nd Apron starting this offseason teams won’t be able to rely on playing veterans and hoping for the best. It is why Denver was so aggressive in trading for picks last year to build up their young core. It is why Denver played their young guys like Payton Watson last year. Teams will begin to make these changes for sustainability over immediate results. The Clippers definitely have not shown an eye for sustainability thus far. Rather they have acted with a mindset of desperation consistently paying and playing aging players, drafting older rookies with the hopes they could contribute immediately or drafting raw rookies who never saw the floor. But that was the case prior to these new cap restrictions. Organizations will need to adjust. And that includes the Clippers. Player development will be a bigger focus – it has to.
Trade up for Edey. Seriously. That inside presence will just open up shooters and give us more size and youth, which we are clearly lacking.