The Clippers’ season is already drifting into dangerous territory, and that’s exactly why a Kristaps Porzingis trade starts to look a little more interesting if the slide keeps going.
Right now, the picture in LA is ugly. The team is 1-6, which doesn’t exactly scream playoff push, much less a comfortable path into the Play-In Tournament. With the Kawhi Leonard saga already setting the franchise back years, the more practical move may be to stop chasing the present and start clearing the way for the future.
That’s where Porzingis comes in.
Based on the recent rumors, his run with the Golden State Warriors appears to be nearing the finish line. He’s away from the team at the moment, and it doesn’t sound like that absence has been approved.
The Warriors are also reportedly not paying his contract right now. For a Clippers team that may need to pivot quickly, that situation could create an opening.
The key detail is the money. Porzingis’ deal is not fully guaranteed beyond this season, which gives it the feel of an expiring contract.
He’s making $20 million this season, and that same figure could carry into next year, but that second-year number is non-guaranteed. In other words, if LA took him on, it would be adding a contract that could help the team reset financially.
That matters because the Clippers don’t have much room to maneuver. They are not in a position to make a splashy long-term move, and the smarter play may be to collect draft capital and get younger. If the Warriors were to attach enough draft picks, LA should at least be willing to listen.
There are other contract pieces that could get pulled into the discussion as well. Darius Garland makes $42.2 million this season and will make $44.9 million next year.
Brandon Ingram makes $40 million this year and has a player option worth $41.9 next season. Matching either of those salaries would not be simple for Golden State, but if a deal could be constructed, the Clippers taking on Porzingis would give them a cleaner financial path.
Rui Hachimura’s trade value could also become part of the equation in the right scenario.
None of this changes the basic reality: a Porzingis deal would almost certainly signal the end of the Clippers’ season as a serious pursuit. That’s not a move to make lightly. But if things keep going the way they have, desperation could make it the kind of move LA has to consider.
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