Los Angeles Clippers linked to surprising trade for 3-time All-Star from Eastern Conference contender

An NBA executive believes the Los Angeles Clippers should be a team to keep an eye on as a potential trade landing spot for one of the best power forwards in the Eastern Conference.

This has been an eventful offseason for the Clippers. Before the year came to a close they locked up top star Kawhi Leonard to a new multi-year contract. When the summer arrived the organization hoped to do the same with their other three future Hall-of-Famers hitting free agency.

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Unfortunately, only James Harden will be returning to the roster in 2024-25. Paul George chose to take his talents to the Philadelphia 76ers in NBA free agency. Russell Westbrook was packaged in a trade to Utah, quickly released, and then signed a deal with the Denver Nuggets.

What once seemed like a formidable roster of aging superstars has now been widdled down to just Leonard and Harden. That is why an NBA executive recently suggested to Heavy Sports NBA insider Sean Deveney the Clippers might be one of the few realistic landing spots in a long-rumored Julius Randle trade.

“[The Knicks] do not have a lot of options trying to find a team to take Randle,” the anonymous Western Conference exec said. “There’s not a lot of teams you can drop him into the lineup and they’d be fine, and there’s not a lot of teams that want to match up contracts there.

Julius Randle stats (2023-24): 24.0 PPG, 9.2 RPG, 5.0 APG, 31% 3PT

“But the Clippers could. They want another star for that group. Look around, that is one of the few places where it can make logical sense.”

How would a Julius Randle trade to the Los Angeles Clippers look?

There is a belief around the game that the three-time All-Star might not be a good fit for a New York Knicks team that added Mikal Bridges in the summer. Plus, with him having a year left on his contract, trading him now instead of losing him next offseason is a logical option for the team.

So if the Los Angeles Clippers are one of the few options for a Randle trade, how might a trade look? A deal that works money-wise would send Randle and his $28 million next season to LA for center Ivica Zubac and veteran wing PJ Tucker. The Clippers don’t have a first-round pick until 2030 but would likely have to add it and a second-rounder in the deal.

Julius Randle Los Angeles Clippers trade proposal:

• Clippers get: Julius Randle
• Knicks get: Ivica Zubac, PJ Tucker, 2030 or 2031 first-round pick, a future second-round pick

It’s unclear if New York would even be interested in such a deal. But Zubac would give them the solid veteran center they have been looking for this summer. And Tucker seems like a solid fit as a defense-only starting forward option or coming off the bench. Furthermore, both are off the books after this season. Something the Knicks would like in a potential deal.

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