This year’s NBA trade deadline came and went without much fanfare, but one of the late moves that could have the biggest impact is the trade that brought Jeff Green to the Los Angeles Clippers.
L.A. sent Lance Stephenson and a first-round pick to the Memphis Grizzlies for Green just before the deadline. The pick is lottery-protected in 2019 and 2020, according to the Los Angeles Times' Ben Bolch, becoming a second-round pick in 2022 if Memphis doesn’t get it in either of those first two drafts.
The trade is a steal for the Clippers because they get an upgrade at a major position of need while giving up nothing of value.
The pick is inconsequential, given that L.A. doesn’t really care about building through the draft. The team is in win-now mode. Only two of the team's draft picks since 2009 are even on the roster: former No. 1 overall pick Blake Griffin and this year’s first-rounder, C.J. Wilcox.
Those lottery protections also ensure the Clippers will keep their picks in 2019 and 2020 if they actually need them.
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Article written by Matt Jennings