Clippers Shore Up, but Questions Remain

The Los Angeles Clippers have used their most valuable chip in Eric Bledsoe to acquire two wing players they desperately need, Jared Dudley from the Phoenix Suns and J.J. Reddick via sign-and-trade. They also give up Caron Butler’s expiring contract to the Suns in the process. The Milwaukie Bucks will pick up two second-rounders in the trade, but the focus should be on the Clippers side. Dudley and Reddick solve one of the Clippers’ wing positions, but the other remains in doubt unless Matt Barnes re-signs far below his market value.

The Clippers seem like a big winner in the trade, ending up with two rotation wing players by trading Bledsoe. The truth is that Reddick is a free agent who chooses to come to the Clippers. The Clippers do not have any cap space to sign him, but I would not find it hard to imagine a team under the cap that is willing to absorb Butler’s expiring contract to facilitate the sign-and-trade for the Clippers. The Sacramento Kings come to mind. If you, like me, believe that such a deal is possible, the Clippers are essentially only getting back Jared Dudley in return for Bledsoe. Dudley is a nice player, someone in the mold of a 3-and-D wing. However, I have always thought of him as a 2/3 rather than a true small forward, someone who can defend Lebron James or Kevin Durant for long stretches. He is more Danny Green than Kawhi Leonard, not big and strong enough to deal with the elite small forwards in the league. This is what makes re-signing Matt Barnes essential. Barnes is much more suited to defend James or Durant than Dudley due to his strength. Dudley may even be a less ideal defender against the bigger wings than Butler is. Given how valuable Bledsoe is around the league, I would expect the Clippers to acquire a true small forward instead of one who may be best suited to play the shooting guard where the Clippers are already loaded with Jamal Crawford and Reddick.

The Suns also come away as a winner in the trade. They give up a role player with no real upside in Dudley and get back an explosive point guard who is full of potential in Bledsoe. The fit is not a big issue even as Bledsoe shares the same position as Goran Dragic, the best player on the Suns. The Suns are a rebuilding team. They should not worry as much about on-court success as they worry about collection of assets, and Bledsoe is a much more valuable asset than Dudley. They also get back Butler, who can still shoot from deep if nothing else and may be an interesting option for a contender come trade deadline as an expiring contract. Dudley is much more valuable to a contending team like the Clippers than to a rebuilding team like the Suns. The Suns have recognized that and acquires good value for him from this trade.

The Bucks are the easiest team to evaluate in this trade.  There is nothing to criticize on this deal alone, but a lot to when you consider the sequence of events. They traded for Reddick for half of a season in which they were swept in the first round. They have only a couple of second round picks to show for what they gave up for Reddick, namely Tobias Harris. It is utter failure that the Bucks are unable to secure Reddick after trading for him mid-season.