The Los Angeles Clippers could be looking to make a major move in the NBA draft later this month.
On the Yahoo Sports NBA Podcast with Chris Mannix, NBA insider Shams Charania mentioned that the Clippers are interested in moving up in the draft, with their eyes on Slovenian superstar prospect Luka Doncic.
“I think there’s a lot of fluidity to this draft,” he said. “You could see a lot of pick movement. The Clippers have looked to trade up. I think a guy that they have really looked at heavily is Luka Doncic of Real Madrid. I think it’ll be a lot of movement in this draft, potentially.”
This latest news goes in line with what Michael Scotto of The Athletic reported on Friday. Scotto, who cited unidentified league sources, said the Clippers have made multiple calls to teams in the top-10 about a potential trade.
It is not surprising to see the Clippers trying to trade up in the draft as they have the ammo to do it. Los Angeles currently owns both the No. 12 and No. 13 picks and could package them with a player to move into the top 10.
For a long time, it seemed as if the 19-year-old Euroleague MVP was the consensus No. 1 overall pick. However, the tide is turning in favor of DeAndre Ayton being selected with the first pick by the Phoenix Suns and Doncic reportedly falling out of the top three spots.
If that is the case, the Clippers would be wise to talk to the Memphis Grizzlies, who own the fourth overall pick in the draft. The Grizzlies would love for Doncic to fall to them as he would start instantly next to Mike Conley Jr. and Marc Gasol. In the Metro’s latest NBA mock draft, Matt Burke actually has Doncic “falling” to Memphis.
Nevertheless, the Clippers would potentially be giving up a lot to move up in the draft. They could use both first round picks, but the idea of Doncic playing at the Staples Center is tantalizing.
Los Angeles could start their rebuild around him as they will more than likely move on from DeAndre Jordan this offseason.
