Why this trade makes sense of the Los Angeles Clippers
As mentioned previously, the only way the Clippers trade Marcus Morris Sr. in the offseason is if things go really bad for them in the postseason and they either lose in the first-round or in the Western Conference Semifinals. If this does happen, it is a very realistic possibility that the Clippers will look to completely flip things around roster wise outside of PG13 and Kawhi in order to bring in a third All-Star player.
Trading Morris for Hernangomez and Culver definitely frees up some cap space, but then gives them the ability to flip either of these two in a trade to acquire another high-level player to form one of the better trios in the league with Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and someone else.
If they were to make this trade, Hernangomez likely would not remain with the Clippers long-term, but Jarrett Culver could definitely be an interesting young player for them to keep. Now in his second season in the league, Culver has battled some injuries, but has shown flashes of his athletic abilities and potential when he has been on the court.
He is a high flying shooting guard that has the ability to be an effective two-way player, especially given his athleticism and length at the guard position. In the Clippers system, he could fit right in, especially since he would still have time to develop into a solid role player behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
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With not much young talent on their roster, Culver could definitely be a young talent the Clippers are willing to invest in at the price of Marcus Morris Sr. While getting a future second-round pick does not hold much value, this pick along with Juancho Hernangomez could be used in future trade negotiations as potential assets to trade away.
Ultimately, this trade acts as a salary relief mechanism for the Clippers while also getting a young talent in return. Los Angeles actually makes out pretty well from this deal if their main goal is to just go for salary relief.
