Since the 2020 offseason, rumors have been circulating that All-Star small forward Kawhi Leonard was urging the Los Angeles Clippers to add a starting-caliber point guard to their roster. They may be currently playing impressively in the 2020-21 NBA season, but they are still expected to find a way to grant Leonard’s request before the 2021 trade deadline. One of the most intriguing trade targets for the Clippers is John Wall of the Houston Rockets.
In a recent article, Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report came up with a blockbuster trade idea that would enable the Clippers to fulfill Leonard’s wish and create their own “Big Three” before the 2021 trade deadline. In the proposed scenario, the Clippers would be sending a package that includes Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Marcus Morris Sr., Ivica Zubac, and Luke Kennard to the Rockets in exchange for Wall, Ben McLemore, Danuel House Jr., a 2022 first-round pick, a 2021 second-round pick, and a 2024 second-rounder.
If the deal pushes forward, it could help both teams in filling up the needs to improve on their roster. Though it would cost them some essential members of their rotation, the suggested trade would give the Clippers a major upgrade at the starting point guard position while giving them two reliable wingmen and future draft assets.
“For the Clippers, though, he might be the playmaker they need,” Buckley wrote, referring to Wall. “Kawhi Leonard’s reported request for a point guard upgrade was never really addressed. This would do it—just ahead of Leonard’s potential venture into unrestricted free agency—in the form of a five-time All-Star and career supplier of 9.1 assists per game. L.A. could also round out its wing collection with Ben McLemore and Danuel House Jr., plus add a trio of picks (a concession for Wall’s contract cost) to develop or go shopping for more.”
Wall may have spent the past two years recovering from various injuries but from the time he set foot on the court this season, he has proven to everyone in the league that he still has plenty of gas left in his tank. In 15 games he played, he’s posted impressive numbers, averaging 19.2 points and six assists while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc, per ESPN . If he could remain healthy throughout the season and build good chemistry with Leonard and George, the Clippers might have a better chance of dominating the loaded Western Conference and winning a title this year.
Meanwhile, the proposed scenario might also greatly benefit the Rockets. Without a clear path to title contention, most people believe that Houston is better off undergoing a rebuilding process. By sending Wall to Los Angeles, they would receive a pair of long-term keepers in Zubac and Kennard who would join Christian Wood and potentially form the core of the next title-contending team that they would try to build in the post-James Harden era. Williams, Beverley, and Morris could temporarily serve as mentors to their young core before being sent to title contenders in exchange for young players and future draft assets.