Los Angeles Clippers Receive: F Josh Jackson
Detroit Pistons Receive: LAC 2022 2nd Round Pick, LAC 2026 2nd Round Pick
The LA Clippers moved Rajon Rondo to the Memphis Grizzlies this past offseason and in doing so, they created an $8.2M trade exception that expires in July 2022.
They could potentially wait until the offseason to utilize this exception, but it makes much more sense for them to potentially go after a player on a smaller contract now that can help them in their efforts to make it back to the Western Conference Finals.
In no way is Josh Jackson an elite-level talent that will be the difference in them beating teams like the Warriors, Suns, and Jazz in the Western Conference, but he is another key bench talent that they can count on to give them at least 15 minutes of solid play each and every night.
With Detroit, Josh Jackson has been a key “Sixth-Man” like player for them and really opens up space on the floor even though he is not much of a three-point shooter. Given that the Clippers put an emphasis on three-point shooting on the wing, maybe Jackson does not fit in perfectly, but he is a guy who they could look at as a change of pace type player.
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Being as athletic as he is on the wing and possessing some explosiveness off-the-dribble, Jackson could be a key running-mate next to other athletes like Paul George and Reggie Jackson in transition.
Los Angeles currently ranks 7th in the league in fastbreak points and 10th in points off turnovers, two areas in which they could look to expand upon with the addition of Jackson due to his abilities to get out in transition and push the pace of play.
While they would probably prefer to land another young talent in return for Josh Jackson, getting two second-round picks for him in the final year of his contract is not terrible for the Detroit Pistons.
At least they would get something for him before Jackson becomes a free agent and for the Pistons, this trade would give them another second-round pick in 2022 to try and add more talent to their roster in the offseason.
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Detroit could ultimately decide to hold onto Josh Jackson and maybe keep him around by agreeing to a new deal in the offseason, but the Pistons do not necessarily view him as a key building block for the future. As a result, moving Jackson now for value makes the most sense.
