Jerry West Hopeful Clippers Get Another Impactful Player

Jerry West wants to see the LA Clippers add another piece

Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA TODAY Sports

The LA Clippers made a splash to open up the trade deadline, shocking the league by acquiring Norman Powell from the Portland Trail Blazers. By picking up a player of Powell's caliber without giving up hardly anything in return, the Clippers have options. If they stay put, many believe this is one of the league's best rosters when fully healthy. While true, they still possess trade-able assets that could bring back another impact player. This approach seems to be most appealing to Jerry West.

On Wednesday afternoon, when speaking about the Norman Powell acquisition, West told the media that "We're hopeful that our General Manager and Lawrence Frank will be able to go in there and find a way to get another player that'll really make a difference going into next year." West's comments seem to indicate that the team is not done making moves.

Speculation has surrounded what the Clippers will do ahead of Thursday's trade deadline; however, as history has shown, very few people know what the Clippers are going to do before they actually do it. Any reports that indicate otherwise are usually educated guesses at best. Drawing from West's comments, it seems as if any additional moves the Clippers make will adhere to the long-term vision of maximizing Kawhi Leonard and Paul George's championship window.

The Clippers are in an interesting spot, because as it pertains to their championship hopes this season, nothing will be clear until after Paul George's MRI on February 24th. While all reports indicate that Kawhi Leonard is ahead of schedule, leaving open the possibility of a return this year, it is likely to assume he would not come back if his running mate Paul George were to be shut down for the year. If this were the case, the Clippers would then shift their focus onto next season.

The trade deadline will have come and gone by the time Paul George's reevaluation takes place; however, the Clippers seem interested in bringing in players that fit the long-term vision alongside Kawhi and PG. If a positive update comes, and those two return this season, then the team will be in a position to contend. If not, they have already set themselves up for success for several years to come, and any moves ahead of Thursday's deadline will likely adhere to that same vision.

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