New Orleans Pelicans: Trading a Lonzo Ball package for Paul George

New Orleans Pelicans trade a Lonzo Ball package for George Paul of the LA Clippers.

Why the Clippers would do it

The Clippers entered last season as a favorite to win a title and many picked them to beat the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals.

The problem is that the Clippers didn’t even make it to the Finals, but instead got upset by the Denver Nuggets, looking very beatable in the process.

The Clippers suddenly went from a team that looked deep, talented and unbeatable to a team that looked old.

If you look at the Clippers’ roster, almost everyone is older. They don’t have a single “young” player who contributes other than Ivica Zubac, who spent a big portion of the playoffs on the bench.

If I own the Clippers and look at this old roster, I am getting worried. Not only did they fail to make the Finals, but they aren’t getting any younger, have no cap space and have given away all of their future draft picks.

If I can find a way to stay competitive in the West, clear some cap space, get younger and get a pick? I am jumping at that offer. The Clippers may be able to do better than this, but they are definitely not getting anything close to what they gave up to get Paul.

This trade gives them a young, ascending player to potentially add to their long-term plans in Lonzo Ball, an elite shooting weapon to put around Kawhi and two future 1st round picks.

The Clippers might be able to find a better package for Paul, who knows, but Lonzo, Redick, Miller and two first-round picks isn’t bad and could potentially make the Clippers better overall.

It would also potentially clear a lot of cap space for 2021 when the Clips could try to add another star (hello Giannis) to the roster.