The Los Angeles Clippers have been highly aggressive in their pursuit of point guard help and star forward Kawhi Leonard has plenty to do with that.
“Leonard has made it clear to the Clippers front office that he would welcome a point guard addition,” Action Network's Matt Moore relays. “It’s no surprise that two of his former teammates on his championship [Toronto] Raptors team, [Kyle] Lowry and [Fred] VanVleet, are on their short list of targets.”
While they're valuable players in their own right, neither Reggie Jackson or John Wall have played at the level that the Clippers need in a league where many point guards are the most dominant players on their team. Though L.A. doesn't need a point guard that's an All-Star level player, they do need an upgrade.
The revelation that Leonard has been a driving force in the team's decision-making isn't a novel concept, as many franchises value the input of their stars when it comes to building a roster. Nonetheless, its's interesting that a player like Lowry would be a trade target for L.A. given how he's struggled since the 2022 playoffs. For a scenario like a trade for Lowry to take place would mean that Kawhi values defense more than anything.
What Lowry, VanVleet and another known Clippers trade target in Utah Jazz guard Mike Conley have in common is their defensive ability. Each are struggling offensively this season, but their veteran savvy and defensive tenacity have continued to shine.
Should L.A. manage to pry one of their point guard targets away from an opposing team, it'll be interesting to see who the odd man out is. Jackson has stepped up for L.A. when they needed him most. Wall is the facilitator that the team had long been missing.
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