The Los Angeles Clippers are looking for a small forward, but not if it reportedly includes trading Jamaal Crawford. With the Feb. 19 trade deadline approaching, the Clippers may turn their attention to Boston Celtics forward Jeff Green.
Los Angeles needs help at the wing, but apparently not badly enough to make their reigning Sixth Man of the Year available.
"The Clippers continue to shop for a starting small forward, but have told at least one inquiring team that they do not intend to move valuable sixth man Jamal Crawford in the process, sources say," CBS Sports' Ken Berger wrote Tuesday. "The Clippers have one of the least productive benches in the league as it is, and that problem would become even more pronounced if they moved Crawford."
Clippers coach and president Doc Rivers purportedly was actively trying to sign then-free agent Josh Smith, but lost out to the Houston Rockets. Rivers' next target could be Green, whom he coached in Boston for two-and-a-half seasons. Green has the option to become a free agent in the summer, and Boston reportedly is willing to trade him if it gets them more assets to build with.
The problem for Rivers, though, is he's limited in what he can offer. Los Angeles has virtually no assets to trade, and even if they were able to entice a team into a deal, they have little financial flexibility to add salary due to being more than $3 million over the tax line already.
If Rivers can make a trade happen, he has until Feb. 19 to do so. A third team would most likely have to be involved.
