Malcolm Brogdon admits to 'preparing' himself to join Clippers after Jrue Holiday's trade

Veteran guard Malcolm Brogdon was preparing in June to join the Clippers before three-team trade talks also involving the Celtics and Wizards fell apart. Now a member of the Trail Blazers, Brogdon tells Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints that he preparing for a move to Los Angeles again this fall when Portland was shopping Jrue Holiday after acquiring Holiday from Milwaukee.

“Once Jrue was traded from Milwaukee, I knew Boston had a lot of interest in him and I figured Boston would have a good run at getting him because I was a guy that they were open to trading,” Brogdon said. “… I was preparing myself for both [the Blazers and Clippers] because I thought I might be in Portland and I thought I might be flipped straight to L.A. So I didn’t know, but I was preparing myself.”

The Trail Blazers ended up hanging onto Brogdon, stressing that his veteran leadership will be welcomed in a young locker room, and as part of a young backcourt. However, there’s no guarantee that he’ll finish the season in Portland. For his part, the guard tells Azarly that he’ll remain prepared for any scenario.

“For me, it’s all about me staying sharp,” Brogdon said. “It’s less about the scenario or the situation of the teams.”

Here’s more on the NBA’s two Los Angeles teams:

• While the Clippers have been linked for months to James Harden, do they already have the right play-making guard on their roster in Russell Westbrook? Janis Carr of The Orange County Register (subscriber link) and Dylan Hernandez of The Los Angeles Times explore that topic, with Hernandez noting that head coach Tyronn Lue said Westbrook has “bought in 100%” to what the team needs from him.
• Christian Wood‘s limitations as a defender were considered one key reason why he was unable to land more than a minimum-salary deal as a free agent this offseason, but the Lakers big man impressed the team in his second game on Thursday with the defense he played against Kevin Durant and the Suns, writes Broderick Turner of The Los Angeles Times. “I thought he did about as good as anyone can do,” Ham said of Wood, who grabbed 10 rebounds and was a plus-23 in 21 minutes. “He made a commitment to me when we signed him that that is a part of his game that he wants to get better at. And with his length, his agility, he’s able to contest at a high rate.”
• The Lakers showed in their second game of the season that they’re viewing their 28-to-30-minute plan for LeBron James as more of a loose guideline than a hard cap, as ESPN’s Dave McMenamin and Jovan Buha of The Athletic detail. James played the entire fourth quarter and 35 minutes in total on Thursday to help the club secure a win over Phoenix. “I understand that we definitely have a system put in place, but tonight called for me to go outside the box,” he said after the victory.