The Los Angeles Clippers are 1-5. They had a historically bad offseason that will take several years to recover from. The league took away five first-round picks as part of the punishment for circumventing the salary cap rules for Kawhi Leonard. Things are bleak both now and in the future. At this point, I'd really consider just becoming a Lakers fan. And that's saying something.
The Clippers have dug themselves a huge hole that will require multiple steps to climb out of. With how limited they are in terms of assets now, they'll have to rely on marginal moves that eventually add up to something meaningful. That could apply to a trade involving Derrick Jones Jr., for instance, who has been playing great hoops to start the season.
Blazers could help Clippers rebuild with a Derrick Jones Jr. trade
Jones exited Sunday's game against the Golden State Warriors, but is currently listed day-to-day with right knee soreness. He was on track for a career season with the Clippers before that, averaging a career-high 11.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on red-hot shooting splits of 53/52/67.
Those are bound for some negative regression as we get a larger sample size, but Jones has hovered around 36 percent from three in his past two seasons with the Clippers. His improved shooting, elite athleticism, and versatile defense would be a great bench addition for Portland. They could really use more help on the wing -- as we recently highlighted when making a case for the Blazers to trade with the New Orleans Pelicans for either Trey Murphy III or Herb Jones.
Jones -- Derrick, that is -- is a former Blazer with one year spent here during the 2020-21 season. The Blazers finished sixth in the Western Conference that season with a 42-30 record, resulting in a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets.
Damian Lillard rejoins a roster that is now better equipped to make a deeper playoff push in his second stint with the Blazers. However, wing depth remains an issue as they have no reliable pieces outside of Deni Avdija, Toumani Camara, and a quietly emerging Sidy Cissoko.
A second stint with Jones could benefit both parties. He gets a chance at contention back in Portland, contributing to that as a key piece off the bench. Meanwhile, the Clippers get a chance to make a move on the margins to begin recouping at least some of that draft capital lost this offseason.
With the Clippers and Blazers trending in opposite directions to start the season, a Jones trade only makes more sense. Hopefully Portland makes the call to bring back a familiar face for some much-needed wing depth.
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