The Los Angeles Clippers are active on multiple front heading into Thursday afternoon’s NBA trade deadline.
According to multiple media reports, Los Angeles has acquired point guard Bones Hyland from the Denver Nuggets and sharp-shooting guard Eric Gordon in a three-team trade involving the Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies.
In the first deal, Los Angeles sends two future second-round selections to Denver in order to acquire bring in the young Hyland.
The Clippers have been in the market for a point guard for some time now. They were looking to either trade or buy John Wall out. He now heads back to the Houston Rockets in the aforementioned deal for Eric Gordon, where the veteran will be bought out. Again!
As for the nuts and bolts of the three-team deal with Memphis and Houston. Los Angeles sends Luke Kennard to the Grizzlies. The Clippers receive injured forward Danny Green and three second-round selections. The Rockets get back a pick swap from Los Angeles in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.
Still with us? Good.
In a vacuum, this plays out pretty darn well for the Los Angeles Clippers. Still only 22 years old, Hyland had fallen out of favor with the Nuggets due to his poor defense.
Related: Russell Westbrook interested in the Los Angeles Clippers
However, we’re talking about a former first-round pick who is shooting 38% from distance since entering the NBA last season. This season is seeing the former VCU standout average 12.1 points and 3.0 assists while shooting 38% from three-point range.
As for Eric Gordon, he was an original top-10 pick of the Los Angeles Clippers back in 2008 out of Indiana. The former NBA Sixth Man of the Year winner played his first three NBA seasons in Southern California, averaging a career high 22.3 points back in 2010-11.
Gordon, 34, still offers up a whole heck of a lot. He shot 41% from three-point range a season ago in Houston and has started all 47 games in which he’s played for the Rockets in 2022-23.