With the trade deadline less than 2 days away, we’ve heard a lot of rumor and speculation about various deals. Will Amare go to the Cavs? Will the Rockets ship T-Mac to the Knicks? There are so many “insiders” these days, but no one seems to know anything for sure.
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Clippers had barely been discussed as potential trademakers when swapped Marcus Camby for Portland’s Travis Outlaw and Steve Blake. Compared with the other possible moves, this deal seems as if it will have little impact on either team’s immediate title chances or long-term future.
It’s clear now that the Clips are willing to make moves, and I’m frankly surprised that the media has not even mentioned the prospect of trading Chris Kaman. In my opinion, the Clippers should be doing everything they can to get rid of their center.
Initially, this may appear like a questionable idea. The Clippers’ first all-star since Elton Brand in 2006, Kaman has quietly developed into a very reliable post scorer and rebounder, perhaps becoming LA’s best player. How many of you realize that he is averaging 19.6 points and 8.9 rebounds?
However, the Clippers have been stuck in neutral for several seasons. Despite recent serious offseason acquisitions (Baron Davis) and high draft picks (Eric Gordon, Blake Griffin), they really haven’t gotten any better. Some call it the Clipper Curse. Some blame it on owner Donald Sterling.
My culprit? Identity.
Every sports team needs an identity. The great squads’ identities are often immortalized with catchy nicknames, such as the Showtime Lakers or Greatest Show on Turf. But all successful teams, including the less heralded ones, also have a great sense of who they are. Take the Utah Jazz, who under Jerry Sloan have never won a title yet have been perennially competitive. They have always played tough, smart, and physical, with an offense largely predicated on pick-and-rolls.
Over the last few years, it has become readily apparent that the Clippers have no idea what they want to do on the court. Do they want to get up and down, running and gunning? Play inside-out? Play pressure defense? Or any D at all? Dunleavy’s Clippers are dealing with a crisis of identity as much as anything, which is a recipe for disaster.
How does trading Chris Kaman solve this problem? you ask. Looking at the current construction of the Clippers’ roster, especially after the Camby trade, it looks like they are built to play a fast-paced, open court game. Baron Davis’ athleticism and creativity are much more effective in the open court. Blake Griffin is an explosive Amare-type power forward who is much more dangerous on the break. Al Thornton is a suspect shooter with below average handle, but he is a very strong finisher at the rim. Travis Outlaw (whom the Clips should resign) is a tweener forward who can really get up and down the floor. And Eric Gordon has a diverse enough skill set to play any style of ball.
The odd man out is the slow 7-footer who likes to shoot jump hooks, no matter how solid those jump hooks are.
So who should the Clippers try to get in return for Kaman? I think they should try to clear more salary for the offseason, and then make a serious run at one (or even two) of the marquee free agents this summer. LeBron, D-Wade, Joe Johnson, Chris Bosh, and even Rudy Gay or David Lee would all fit the new style. Imagine a starting lineup of Baron, Gordon, Johnson, Griffin, and Lee. That team would suddenly be one of the top 3 teams in the West in terms of talent.
As it stands now, they’re going to have around $10 million of cap space, whereas the Knicks and Nets are going to have 20$ million. While there’s no guarantee to score big in the free agent market, the more money you have to play with, the more dangerous you are. Giving up Kaman’s $11 million – he has two years remaining on his deal – for expiring contracts would suddenly vault the Clippers right into the realm of the Knicks and Nets, giving them as many options as any team in the league.
Here are three potential trades, in order from what seems most likely to least likely:
1. Kaman to the Chicago Bulls for Brad Miller straight up: The Bulls have been complaining for years that they don’t have a post scorer to complement their perimeter players. While Joakim Noah and co. are nice rebounders/defenders/hustle guys, they can’t create their own offense down low. Kaman immediately alleviates that issue and gives the Bulls an inside presence. Since Kaman and Miller have essentially the same salary, this swap proves simple to make.
2. Kaman and Rasual Butler to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Etan Thomas and Matt Harpring: (Adding Butler to the trade is the only way to make the salaries match up, but since he is also becoming a free agent this offseason, it is inconsequential.) The Thunder have a great young core of Durant, Westbrook, Green, Harden, and Sefolosha. What they’re missing is a center who can score. (No, Nenad Krstic is not the answer.) For those of you who might think that OKC’s team would be better off playing uptempo basketball, they’ve been more successful this season when slowing the pace, playing solid D, and working for good shots. Though the Thunder have not been mentioned in any trade talks, they do have some young size like Serge Ibaka and BJ Mullens, and they are set to have some nice cap space this summer, this trade seems to make complete sense. They are not going to be competing for any of the top-tier free agents, and David Lee would not be a better fit here than Kaman.
3. Kaman, Butler, Sebastian Telfair, Craig Smith to the Houston Rockets for McGrady: (Again, had to throw in a few other expiring contracts to make the salaries match up.) This seems like a long shot. The Rockets are counting on Yao Ming returning to form, and a starting frontcourt including Kaman and Yao would be the slowest thing this side of Zydrunas Ilgauskas. On the other hand, Houston is doing all it can to unload McGrady, Kaman would be a pretty good insurance policy for Yao, and that big frontcourt would also control the boards, create matchup nightmares, and provide quite the deterrent for guards attacking the rim. It’s worth a thought, isn’t it?
While it’s looking unlikely that Kaman will be moved before the deadline, I reiterate that I’m surprised it hasn’t been discussed. Big, skilled centers who aren’t head cases are rare in this league. It’s unfortunate for the Clippers that he really doesn’t fit at all.
