Report: Clippers trying to trade for Lonzo Ball

Lonzo Ball has been mentioned in trade talks leading up to next Thursday’s deadline, and it sounds like at least one Western Conference contender is making a push to acquire him.

The Los Angeles Clippers are exploring potential avenues to trade for Ball, Marc Stein of the New York Times reports. They don’t have much draft capital to offer, but Stein says they have been looking to get a third team involved to help overcome that obstacle.

The Clippers have been in need of a true playmaking point guard since the offseason, and they have been linked to Ball for weeks now. However, the Pelicans may not want to trade the 23-year-old with the way their young core has started to gel.

Ball is averaging 14.2 points, 5.6 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game. New Orleans is 17-24 but has shown signs of progress under Stan Van Gundy. Ball recently said he is excited about what the young Pelicans are building with him, Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.

For what it’s worth, LaVar Ball wants the Pelicans to trade his son. The elder Ball’s latest rant this week centered on how he believes Van Gundy is misusing Lonzo.

While Lonzo has said positive things about the Pelicans, he may already be eyeing another team for when he becomes a restricted free agent after the season.