Clippers guard Lou Williams is averaging 19.9 points and is doing so with some of the most efficient numbers of his career: 38.0 percent shooting from the 3-point line, 86.0 percent from the free-throw line and 56.4 true-shooting percentage, the fifth-best of his 15-year career, along with a career-best 6.2 assists. With those numbers, Williams is a frontrunner to be the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year for the third straight season.
That might not make Williams a prime candidate to be traded but as the Clippers search for ways to bolster what they hope will be a championship-caliber roster, there is speculation that making Williams available is an option for the Clips.
Veteran ESPN writer Kevin Pelton wrote on Wednesday that despite his offensive production, Williams’ defensive deficiency could make him expendable. He would be an attractive trade chip, considering his scoring ability combined with his eminently reasonable contract ($8 million for this season and $8 million for next).
Rather than scrambling to send off their 2020 first-rounder as the team tries to find better two-way players to close out games, the Clippers could move Williams as part of a deal that brings back a better defender.
“Williams probably has more trade value than the first-round pick the Clippers have to offer,” Pelton wrote. “But finding a workable trade probably requires involving a third team since those who need Williams’ skills probably don’t have the kind of quality two-way contributors the Clippers would want in return.”
Clippers Nearly Traded Lou Williams in 2018
The Clippers have not been shopping Williams, according to league sources but with three weeks till the trade deadline, it’s Williams could yet attract interest. The Clippers have been adept at keeping their transactions close to the vest so Williams’ absence from the rumor mill does not necessarily mean the Clippers have not had hushed conversations about him.
In fact, back when it seemed all but certain that the Clippers would trade Williams—ahead of the 2018 trade deadline—the Clippers surprised the NBA by instead granting him a three-year, $24 million extension. That’s the contract he’s under now.
At the time, reaction around the league held that Williams had accepted a hometown discount deal, wanting to establish some stability after having been with five teams in five years. The value contract, though, made Williams easier to trade going forward—though the Clippers may be reluctant to dump Williams after he showed some loyalty in accepting the deal.
“This late in my career,” Williams said at the time, “I didn’t make a money decision, I made a decision that was based on me being comfortable in the position I was in and the environment I was in and that’s what I went with.”
Williams’ Defense a Weak Link for Clippers
Still, the Clippers could have a real problem in the postseason when Williams will become a frequent target on the defensive end. Teams can be expected to try to set him up with screens that will leave him in a mismatch against superior offensive players.
Williams has not been bad in clutch situations this year—defined by the NBA as games within five points with five minutes left to play—with a net rating of 9.1. Offensively, the Clippers averaged 125.2 points per 100 possessions in the clutch with Williams and allow 116.1 points defensively. That’s sixth-best on the team.
Generally, though, the Clippers allow 106.6 points per 100 possessions when Williams is on the floor, which is second-worst among rotation regulars. (Only Landry Shamet is worse.) The Clippers’ defensive rating is 105.8, seventh in the NBA.
Williams might well win another Sixth Man of the Year award. And it’s likely that he’ll do so with the Clippers—but not a certainty.
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