The NBA trade deadline saw lots of big-name players such as Luka Doncic and Anthony Davis being traded away to different teams.
The Clippers recently traded for Patty Mills and Drew Eubanks from Utah, but they also went out on the NBA trade deadline and acquired Bogdan Bogdanovic from the Atlanta Hawks for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.
The Clippers also got draft picks in that trade as well, but the big prize was that Bogdanovic is a proven veteran who plays well off the bench.
The Clippers got Bogdan Bogdanovic because of his scoring. Though Bogdan has struggled to be his old self so far this season with Atlanta, the Clippers front office didn’t overlook the type of player he was from the 2023-24 NBA season.
Bogdanovic is efficient in scoring and defense in each of the 79 games he played. Last season, Bogdan averaged 16.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, shooting 42.8% from the field. Bogdanovic was ranked sixth in the league last season.
With the addition of Bogdan Bogdanovic, he takes over the playing time of Kevin Porter Jr, who averaged nearly 20 minutes per game.
Clippers head coach Ty Lue expects Bogdan to score, similarly to Norman Powell, and bring the impact of the game like James Harden on a very talented Clippers team.
The Clippers also got three second-round picks in the trade as well from Atlanta. The Clippers front office will most likely take advantage of these three picks and scout the next future players for the Clippers, or use the draft picks in the offseason trade. The Clippers did give up Bones Hyland and Terance Mann.
Though Terance Mann was beloved by Clippers fans, neither of them had much of a role this season in head coach Ty Lue’s game plan. Bones Hyland was out of the team’s rotation, and Terance Mann was limited on the court than what he was used to in the past. Terance Mann was also recovering from a recent injury.
Not only did the Clippers also make a move during the trade deadline, the Clippers also acquired former 1st overall pick Ben Simmons on a buyout.
What this means is that the Clippers finally got a big man that they needed in Ben Simmons. Another thing about what the Clippers got is his ball-handling duties. On certain games, Ty Lue can insert Ben Simmons to take the ball, allowing Kawhi and James Harden to focus more on the half-court set. This also helps conserve their energy, as Ben Simmons handles the ball is such a huge upgrade the Clippers need since they’ve struggled to find one this season.
The two new additions the Clippers have on the roster show that the team is truly capable of competing in a very loaded Western Conference.
With their cross-town rivals Lakers having Luka, the Clippers additions of Ben Simmons and Bogdan Bogdanovic are going to make the battle of LA a whole lot fun.
The Clippers are looking to make a run for the playoffs with the new additions on the team.
PHOTO: Brett Davis/Imagn Images
The post Clippers Make Big Moves in Trade Deadline, Buyout Market appeared first on Los Angeles Sports Nation.