The Los Angels Clippers might be on the move to get the future of the franchise in the NBA Draft. One NBA executive thinks the Clippers might try to swap a pair of first-round picks to move up to draft Michael Porter Jr. in the Draft June.
Porter had an injury-shortened season at Missouri but remains one of the most intriguing options in the Draft this year. Earlier reports indicated that the Memphis Grizzlies are the team to trade with if interested parties are looking to move up.
But the Phoenix Suns also say they are open to swapping out of the top spot. Porter has said he’s the best player in the Draft, though it’s not likely it will take that top spot to grab him.
Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer wrote about the NBA Draft Combine and spoke to one NBA front office executive who said the Clippers are very intersted in
The Clippers are open to moving up in the draft, according to multiple league executives. They’re armed with picks nos. 12 and 13, and have the assets to get creative. A front office exec said that Michael Porter Jr. is a possible target for the Clippers, who could slide the forward into their modernized system as a go-to scorer. Funnily enough, later that day, Clippers owner Steve Ballmer paused his own interview session with reporters to stand and listen behind a media scrum around Porter.
O’Connor noted that it’s very unusual for an NBA owner to linger around press conferences at the combine, so the interest certainly seems high. Our Brad Rowland has Porter Jr. going 10th overall in his latest mock draft, so perhaps it would only take a few spots to make sure the Clippers get their man, but draft stocks can change rapidly in the run-up to the Draft itself.
If Porter becomes a hot name, the Clippers might need to incentivize a team higher up the draft board with quantity over the potential for quality.
