On January 11th, Beijing time, three pieces of news about the Los Angeles Clippers have emerged. Let's take a look.
Kawhi Leonard Returns Successfully
Recently, due to the wildfires in Southern California, countless buildings have been destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate, including the family of Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. The day before yesterday, according to Chris Haynes, Leonard took leave from the Clippers to accompany his family who were evacuated due to the wildfires and missed the last game against the Denver Nuggets. Yesterday, according to TMZ, Leonard's family was unharmed, and even more fortunately, his $17 million mansion located in the worst-hit area of the wildfires remained intact.
Today, according to multiple Clippers reporters, Leonard has returned to the team and participated in full training. He has also been removed from the injury list and can participate in future games. For the Clippers, Leonard's timely return is undoubtedly an uplifting message. On one hand, the Clippers have had a poor record recently, losing four out of their last five games, and they need their core player Leonard to stabilize morale; on the other hand, Leonard just returned from a knee injury not long ago and needs to quickly regain his form through competitive play. The Clippers' next four opponents include three teams at the bottom of the league standings, providing Leonard with a good opportunity to find confidence and a sense of presence on both offense and defense.
A 3-for-1 Trade Proposal Emerges
In the last game where the Clippers lost 103:126 to the Nuggets, the Clippers' interior was dominated by the Nuggets' 36-year-old veteran center DeAndre Jordan (who scored 12 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals on 5-of-6 shooting), which angered many local media and fans in Los Angeles. They suggested that the Clippers should quickly trade for a suitable backup center to add depth and cope with the situation when Ivica Zubac is not in form. Today, American media suggested that the Clippers could complete a 3-for-1 trade with the Atlanta Hawks, specifically sending out Mann, Tucker, and a second-round pick from the Jazz in 2030 to acquire Clint Capela from the Hawks. Previously, to provide more playing time and opportunities for Onyeka Okongwu, the Hawks had put Capela on the trading block.
For the Clippers, Capela is a good acquisition target. Offensively, he can set screens and finish plays, as well as perform various high-flying tasks; defensively, Capela possesses above-average rim protection and versatility in guarding smaller players, giving the Clippers more options and flexibility in defense; most importantly, Capela had several seasons of very默契的合作 with James Harden, and if he joins, it is believed that a quick chemical reaction will occur.
For the Hawks, Mann is a versatile swingman who can attack and defend, enriching the Hawks' rotation depth and improving the quality of counterattacks and perimeter defense aggressiveness; Tucker is a veteran with rich experience and championship-winning experience, capable of playing the role of a locker room leader, and his contract is about to expire, allowing the Hawks to free up $11 million in space this summer. Overall, this is a mutually beneficial trade, let's see if it can turn into reality in the future.
Lineup Update for Hornets Game
At 11:30 am Beijing time tomorrow, unless postponed due to wildfires, the Clippers will face the Charlotte Hornets at home. Today, the Clippers officially released the injury list and lineup for this game, specifically: Tucker (agreed not to follow the team), Flowers & Christy (sent to the G League); all other players are available to play. For the Clippers, they urgently need a victory to regain confidence. Let's see if they can muster their forces and achieve a long-awaited big win against the weak Hornets.