Ranking Clippers' Top Trade Targets After 2025 NBA Playoff Loss
The Los Angeles Clippers should look back on their 2024-25 NBA season with pride.
Sure, they hoped their playoff trip would yield more than a first-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in seven games, but this was a productive campaign nonetheless.
They won 50 games. They had a top-five net rating. They coaxed an All-NBA-caliber effort out of James Harden, saw Kawhi Leonard return to a superstar level (with the when-healthy caveat attached, as always) and watched both Ivica Zubac and Norman Powell perform at the highest levels of their careers.
That won't ease the sting of a first-round series loss to Denver, but it should motivate this front office to keep probing for the proverbial missing piece. Because this roster—if Harden returns either on his player option or with a new contract—could be closer to contending than its postseason fate suggests.
3. Ben Sheppard, Indiana Pacers
Given the Clippers' lack of prospects and draft picks (they don't control their next four firsts), their budget is limited to the point they're probably best off shopping the distressed-asset section of the trade market.
Could Sheppard be a bit?
He's a recent first-round pick (No. 26 in 2023) with clear three-and-D potential. His place in the Pacers' pecking order also appears tenuous given their depth on the wings.
With his 24th birthday fast approaching, Indiana may not see so much upside in front of him to keep him around and further congest the wings. L.A., meanwhile, could reasonably sense there is still some growth potential in a second-year player who has just barely cracked the 2,000-minute mark.
2. Saddiq Bey, Washington Wizards
Remember him? It's OK if you don't honestly, since he previously suited up for rather anonymous teams in Detroit and Atlanta and hasn't hit the hardwood since suffering a torn ACL in March 2024.
While the Wizards signed Bey to a three-year, $20 million pact last summer, he probably isn't part of their long-term plans. Their rebuilding project has one of the longest runways in the Association, and he's already 26 years old.
If there's any out-of-sight, out-of-mind discount in his trade cost, though, he'd be worth a flier. He is a sturdy defender—particularly against bigger players—and capable long-range shooter. In two of his first three NBA seasons, he splashed at least 36 percent of his perimeter attempts at a notable volume (5.4-plus per game).
Some might scoff at the notion of the Clippers taking on another injury risk, but that wasn't Bey's reputation before the ACL ailment. Even with that injury, he averaged 73 appearances across his first four NBA seasons.
1. Goga Bitadze, Orlando Magic
It's a testament to Zubac's growth that he has become such an indispensable part of this team. It's also at least partially a reflection of the underwhelming options behind him.
When the Clippers had Zubac on the floor this season, they outscored opponents by 9.4 points per 100 possessions (would have tied Boston for the second-best net rating, per NBA.com). When they didn't, they were outscored by 3.4 points per 100 possessions (would have ranked 24th).
They need to beef up their roster behind the big fella, and Bitadze could help do that. He's been squeezed for floor time by Orlando's crowded center rotation, but when he plays, he is super productive: 12.6 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.5 blocks per 36 minutes this season, per Basketball-Reference.
And since the Magic are so deep at that spot, they should be willing to field offers for him. Assuming the price is relatively reasonable, he'd make a ton of sense for this team.