Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Los Angeles Clippers

When looking at the Los Angeles Clippers roster right now, it is easy to call them a championship contender because of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. These two guys are two superstars in the NBA and give any team they are on a chance to contend for a title. 

No matter who is around them on this roster, the Clippers will always be one of the better teams in the Western Conference simply because they have two of the better players in the entire league. These two guys alone have enough skill and firepower to be able to contend with some of the best teams in the NBA.

Moving forward though, the Clippers’ championship window is pretty small given how old this roster is. Lou Williams, Nicolas Batum, Serge Ibaka, Patrick Beverley, Patrick Patterson, Paul George and Reggie Jackson are all 30+ years old and do not have much left in their careers to make a legit championship push, other than Paul George.

By trading away Williams and Kennard for a guy like Marcus Smart, the Clippers not only get a 26-year old guard who is playing the best basketball of his career, but a two-way guard who can help this team on both ends of the court. 

Marcus Smart has been known to be one of the premier perimeter defenders in the league today and given all of the firepower and talent in the Western Conference, the Clippers could become one of the most dominant defensive backcourts in the league with Patrick Beverley and Marcus Smart pestering their opponents. 

Both Beverley and Smart are elite defenders and so are both Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. With the addition of Smart, the Clippers could be the best defensive team in the league and that alone could help bring them to the NBA Finals. 

Ultimately, if they were able to get Marcus Smart, the Los Angeles Clippers would definitely have a roster that could give the Lakers a run for their money and potentially lift the Clippers to their first NBA Finals appearance in franchise history.