The Clippers have a straightforward way to attack two problems at once: add another first-round pick and help Denver get out from under its second-apron crunch.
The proposed framework is simple enough. LA would send Max Strus and Derrick Jones Jr. to the Nuggets for Aaron Gordon and a first-round pick. On paper, that gives the Clippers a chance to replenish their draft cabinet, while giving Denver a cleaner financial path.
For the Clippers, the timing matters. After the Kawhi Leonard saga, the obvious question becomes, “How can we add more first-round picks to our draft cabinet?” This deal would push them in that direction, and it would do it by taking advantage of Denver’s need to trim salary.
Gordon still has real value on the court. At his best, he’s one of the league’s better role players: a respectable three-point shooter, a versatile defender, and a reliable lob target for Nikola Jokic.
But the contract is heavy. He’s set to make more than $30 million this season, with two years left after that.
That price tag is exactly why Denver could be motivated. The Nuggets are currently more than $3.1 million above the second apron, and they’ve shown no interest in living in that neighborhood. Moving Gordon for Strus and Jones would cut $4.8 million from their books and get them below the line.
If Denver wants the Clippers to bite, it would likely need to sweeten the deal with a first-round pick. The pick they received in the Peyton Watson sign-and-trade with the Cleveland Cavaliers could be one possibility.
From LA’s side, the logic is obvious. Strus and Jones are expiring contracts, and if the Clippers are not expecting to contend soon, flipping those deals for Gordon and a pick makes sense. It would also give them a chance to rebuild Gordon’s trade value while adding another asset for the future.
In Other News...
Kawhi's New Deal Just Reopened A Painful Clippers Trade Debate
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For Clippers fans, the bigger issue is what the whole episode still represents years later: the cost of chasing Leonard, the fallout from the cap-circumvention investigation, and the way one superstar pursuit continues to hover over the franchise. Leonards contract also includes a player option for the 2028-29 season, another reminder that the story is not just about where he is now, but about how much unfinished business the leagues ruling left behind for Los Angeles to reckon with. [Read more 🡒]
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Christies situation feels the most delicate because the team has already put a salary guarantee deadline on the calendar, making camp a live audition in a way the others may not face. For a team trying to sort out its rotation and its roster at the same time, these are the kinds of decisions that can shape not just opening night, but the early tone of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Are Stuck In The Worst Possible Spot Again
The Clippers have spent enough time in the NBAs middle to know how uncomfortable that neighborhood can be, and this season looks like another case of being too good to bottom out and too ordinary to chase anything meaningful in the West. An average roster has them hovering in the standings with little margin for error, the kind of position that usually leaves a team hunting for answers in March instead of planning for spring.
Oklahoma City has a far more appealing view of the whole thing, because this is where the old roster reshuffling keeps paying off in ways that still shape the future. With the lottery odds now making it easier for a respectable-but-unspectacular season to turn into a valuable draft outcome, the Thunder could end up in line for another major boost from Los Angeles without needing the Clippers to completely collapse. That is the sort of back-end leverage that can make an already strong team even harder to catch. [Read more 🡒]