Clippers' Recent Surge Highlights Trade Deadline Mistake

The Los Angeles Clippers have won five of their last six games and are now the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Considering their relatively easy remaining schedule (fourth-easiest in the NBA per Tankathon), improved performance in recent weeks, and the Golden State Warriors' injury concerns, the Clippers are in an excellent spot to make the playoffs through the play-in.

After Darius Garland's return and Kawhi Leonard continuing to play at a near-MVP level, the Clippers' chances of making a postseason run have increased dramatically. If they manage to get themselves to the seventh seed and avoid playing the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round, the Clippers should like their odds against the rest of the field. While this is a much better place to be than most Clippers fans thought was possible after the 6-21 start, it also brings to front one major trade deadline mistake.

Clippers Should Have Traded Bogdan Bogdanovic at the Deadline

Even though the Clippers made a series of big moves at the deadline, including the Ivica Zubac and James Harden trades, they didn't make the deal that seemed like the most obvious one. Bogdan Bogdanovic was widely considered the most likely trade candidate for the Clippers, yet managed to stay in LA past the deadline.

Since then, the Serbian shooting guard has appeared in only one game. He has continued to be out of the rotation despite the Clippers desperately needing more quality and depth in the backcourt during Garland's absence.

The Clippers had a chance to turn Bogdanovic into an impactful rotation player at the deadline. The 33-year-old guard is on an expiring contract that pays him $16 million. By attaching draft capital to this contract, the Clippers could have landed a difference-maker, preferably in the frontcourt, who could have been a part of the rotation in the playoffs.

Not only could the Clippers have two of their own tradeable first-round picks, but they also added two first-round picks from the Pacers as part of the Zubac trade. LA also added a second-round pick in the Garland trade and had a couple of their own second-rounders that they could have traded.

The Clippers likely explored the trade market with Bogdanovic's expiring salary, but couldn't find anything that they liked. This was probably due to the fact that the Clippers don't want to add long-term salary. They are happy to let Bogdanovic's contract expire, giving them cap space in the offseason.

While that is understandable, this could come back to bite the Clippers. They have a real chance to win a playoff series this season, but not getting anything out of a player they are paying $16 million for is certainly not making their job any easier.