A trade between the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers is nothing short of convenient. Imagine being an NBA player hit with the gut-wrenching reality of relocating. Then picture that being followed up with finding out all you have to do is drive across town.
There is more reason to paint this picture as a marriage of convenience for a potential deal during the 2025-26 season. The Clippers have been downright atrocious. Their 7-21 record has them 13th in the Western Conference as they head towards the grim reality of giving away a lottery pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Despite the insistence on trying to somehow salvage the campaign, one would imagine the Clippers will eventually need to face what is in front of them. The other Los Angeles team will be forced to figure out how they can best reposition for the immediate future.
That should involve taking trade calls from other NBA teams regarding a handful of their players. For the Lakers, there should be a realistic target there that fits exactly what they have been looking for to support Luka Doncic. That would be Derrick Jones Jr.
Lakers already know Derrick Jones Jr. would pair well with Luka Doncic
Jones joined the Clippers during the 2024 offseason as a free agent. The defensive-minded forward inked a three-year, $30 million deal on the back of a strong individual campaign that was aided by Doncic.
The two were teammates on the 2023-24 Dallas Mavericks. When they were, Jones averaged 8.6 points and 3.3 rebounds per game, shooting 48.3 percent from the field and 34.3 percent from beyond the arc.
It was the run during the 2024 NBA Playoffs that really stood out. Jones started all 22 games of the postseason, bumping his scoring average up to 9.1 points per game. His 3-point percentage also jumped up to 36.9. Pair that with his strong defensive play and the Clippers put in the call.
With Jones currently earning $10 million in the second year of his deal, the Lakers would have very little trouble making the money work. The Clippers forward was also someone Dan Woike of The Athletic thought was worth monitoring between now and February.
Woike wrote, "With the Clippers’ combination of losing and lack of draft assets, they’d have to listen to reasonable offers."
The defensively ability on the wings would offer the Lakers a desperately needed boost. Jones has also proven capable of effectively utilizing his athleticism to supplement his modest 3-point shooting in playing beside Doncic.
There is another player who shares his last name that Lakers fans would rather see don purple and gold before the NBA trade deadline. Of the two, the Clippers veteran is a much easier player to envision within legitimate reach, given the circumstances and expected trade price.