In-depth analysis: 3 early trading goals for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2025 NBA offseason

Nemias Quita, Tumani Kamara and John Collins are three realistic trading goals that the Los Angeles Clippers can strive for in the offseason.

' ended with a crushing defeat this season may not be the ultimate goal of the Los Angeles Clippers. After all, Kawhi Leonard and James Harden scored 55 points in Game 6, which heralds the seventh game was supposed to be an exciting ending for the first-round series…but that wasn’t the case. The Clippers were once 35 points behind and the season ended with a bad end, which meant Tyron Lue and his teammates were about to start again.

Current status

Will they return with the same core lineup next season? Not sure yet. Even their energetic duo is bound to face uncertainty. First, age is an inevitable topic, Leonard will be 34 next month, while Harden will be 36 in August. Another worrying issue is that the Clippers have been eliminated in the past few years.

However, the Clippers also have a positive side, such as since Harden joined, they have achieved 50 wins in two consecutive seasons. In terms of personal performance, the Clippers' stars can still maintain a high level of performance. Although Leonard missed most of the regular season games, he has recently shown top-notch. There were even a few times when fans felt like they were watching the Raptors’ Kawhi performing on the court (like his 39 points in the second game). As for Harden, he kept the attack in control and scored as he pleased. As for other supporting roles, other key players such as Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac continue to exert the impact people have expected.

However, there is always room for improvement for the Clippers. What else is more suitable for lineup adjustment than offseason? This is exactly the purpose of this article. If the Clippers want to take their performance to the next level and achieve elusive results in the playoffs, chasing the following players would be a good start. Without further ado, here are the team's three trading goals.

Trading Target 1: One thing that Nemias Quita

The Clippers can use is a larger size. During the regular season, their rebounding ranks in the second half of the league (17th place), which can be seen from Zubac's rebounding ability. The center averaged 12.6 rebounds per game, which is worryingly, according to NBA.com, the second and third players in this stat are Leonard (5.9 rebounds) and Harden (5.8 rebounds) respectively. Oh, by the way, look at the lineup depth map. Behind Zubac, it is not uncommon for players like Ben Simmons and even Nicholas Batum to fill the No. 5 position, indicating the lack of another pure big man in the rotation. At this time, Nemias Quita appeared.

Quita is a powerful center for the Boston Celtics. With his 7-foot (about 2 meters) height and 248 pounds (about 110 kilograms), he is not afraid to bear heavy physical work. He can run fast, grab rebounds, and fight against opponents at the basket. Although he is mainly an all-receive threat on the offensive end, he also has good potential, which may be the reason why Boston signed him a three-year, $7.1 million contract last July.

The only question now is whether the Celtics are willing to give up on this player they undoubtedly think is still improving. Despite this, Quita didn’t have much playing time in the playoffs, with most of the playing time being held by Al Horford, Christapus Porzingis and Luke Cornett. Boston's nine-man rotation seems to work well, so theoretically there is little reason to change their roster if they pass all the way again. And – unless they develop Quita as a future center – this could mean the Clippers might consider offering the big man a quote.

Trading Target Two: Another low-key deal the Clippers may consider is Tumani Kamala, a 3D expert who currently performs well with the Portland Trail Blazers. Just look at his performance on the court and you can clearly know that Kamara will cause trouble for the scorer. With a quick shot, a 7-foot wingspan and athletic ability to jump high and blocks – Kamara has all the qualities that complement his outstanding performance on the defensive end. This is why he was named the Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month last February.

The Clippers are a strong defensive team (defensive efficiency is as high as 109.4), so Kamala will not encounter any difficulties in integrating into the team. In addition, the Belgian striker's three-point shooting percentage is as high as 37.5%, making him another player in Los Angeles who can open up space and create threats to his opponents.

The obstacle to signing Kamala is not due to the financial side, as he signed a four-year, $7.6 million contract worth $7.6 million. However, Kamara may be seen as the cornerstone of the team by the Trail Blazers, who are rebuilding around rising star Shaden Sharp.

Trading Target 3: John Collins

Despite the team's offensive firepower, it is not a bad thing to introduce a scorer. John Collins is an example. As the Utah Jazz’s scoring champion, Collins can provide the team with much-needed offensive firepower at the No. 4 position.

Most of his scores are concentrated at low posts, which is favorable, as attracting defensive players into the inside can create space for the team's perimeter threat. Collins not only has the ball to attack the rim, but also has excellent performance in pick-and-roll coordination, and with his athleticism, he is often able to finish the finish above the rim. This means that he will not encounter any problems when playing side by side with players such as Leonard and Harden.

Incorporating Collins into the starting lineup can also bring the "Celtics" back to the small forward position he is good at. In addition, Collins averaged 8.2 rebounds per game, which in this case can improve the overall rebounding ability of the Clippers' five-man.

The only problem is that because of the huge contract amount of Collins (assuming he chose to execute the player option, the contract amount for the 2025-26 season will reach $26.5 million), the Clippers have to give up some important assets to get him. More complicated is that the team does not have any first-round picks until 2030. This limits the trading flexibility of draft capital, which means that if they intend to get a valuable player like Collins, they will likely have to give up one or more of the best role players. (To avoid controversy, the specific name will not be mentioned here).

In any case, the benefits of this transaction outweigh the disadvantages.