Mar 14, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; LA Clippers guard Kris Dunn (8) points after a referee’s call against the Sacramento Kings during the first quarter at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
The Los Angeles Clippers are in a pretty delicate situation at the start of the 2026-27 campaign, given that the whole Kawhi Leonard scandal left the franchise without any of its own first-round picks until 2034, and now they will have to find ways to get young talent without being able to do their own tanking like other franchises, such as the Thunder or Spurs, have done in recent years.
Because of that, the Clippers will have to find ways to bring young talent into this new era of the franchise, and one of the ways I see is by acquiring second-round picks from other teams in exchange for their veterans, like Kris Dunn, since most of their vets are players for whom other contenders really wouldn’t give up a first-round pick.
Obviously, there are the cases of Brandon Ingram and Darius Garland, who has actually already been mentioned in rumors as someone they could potentially shop ahead of the deadline to find a good package. But since the Clippers need to stay at least somewhat good, because losing doesn’t really help them for almost a decade, moving rotation vets for smaller assets feels like a more realistic solution. This framework with the Boston Celtics, who would find that new Jrue Holiday-type guard defensively, is one of them.
The Mock Trade
Boston Celtics Receive: Kris Dunn
Los Angeles Clippers Receive: 2028 second-round pick (via Milwaukee), 2030 second-round pick (via Washington), 2031 second-round pick (via Boston)
The Celtics wouldn’t need to send any salary back here, because Kris Dunn is making only $5.7 million in 2026-27 and could be absorbed into the $27.7 million trade exception they created when they moved Anfernee Simons to the Bulls at the 2026 trade deadline. That TPE remains available until February 5, 2027, so Dunn fits into it easily, while the Clippers would simply turn an expiring 32-year-old rotation guard into three future second-round picks without taking another contract back.
For Boston, it is basically using an asset that otherwise could expire to add one of the league’s better defensive guards, while the Clippers continue building some draft capital without making their current roster dramatically worse.
Why The Celtics Should Do This Move
The Celtics’ roster went through a massive shakeup when they decided to trade Jaylen Brown for Paul George, one of the most painful moves this fanbase has seen in a long time, and Boston didn’t stop there. They also signed Mitchell Robinson to a three-year, $47.4 million deal and added Mike Conley on a one-year contract, trying to keep enough veteran depth around Jayson Tatum, Derrick White, and Payton Pritchard after moving Brown.
That is where Kris Dunn makes a lot of sense for me, because behind White and Pritchard, Boston doesn’t have much proven guard play. The Celtics re-signed Ron Harper Jr. to a three-year, $9.0 million contract after giving him a standard roster spot late last season, but he averaged only 4.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 29 games, so asking him to be the main third guard on a contender feels like too much right now.
Dunn is 32, still several years younger than Conley, and he just averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists while shooting 47.6% from the field and 37.4% from three across all 82 games for the Clippers.
The defensive difference is the biggest reason I like the move, because Dunn can give Joe Mazzulla a very different option from Pritchard. Boston can close games with him when the matchup becomes more physical, since Conley averaged only 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists last season, and even if he still has value as an experienced insurance guard, I wouldn’t want the Celtics depending on him every night at this stage of his career.
Boston has way too much pressure this season to be cheap around the edges, especially after trading Brown right after he helped them win 56 games and then replacing him with a 36-year-old George. This team needs to be near the top of the East and be a Finals contender if the front office wants to prove that trade wasn’t a huge mistake.
Dunn obviously isn’t going to decide that by himself, but he can be a very solid backup point guard or shooting guard for the regular season and playoff matchup changes. Three second-round picks is a fair price for a player who can defend, stay healthy, and give Boston another trusted veteran without touching its main core.
Why The Clippers Need To Say Yes
For the Clippers, I think the rule should be pretty simple now: everybody has to be available if another team is willing to send good draft assets back. This franchise lost five future first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 after the Kawhi Leonard investigation, which completely changed how the front office has to think about the next decade. Every second-round pick, young player, and movable contract suddenly has more value than it would for a normal rebuilding team.
Keaton Wagler is the only player I would put in the real untouchable category right now. He was the No. 5 pick in the 2026 Draft after averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists at Illinois on 45.0% from the field and 40.0% from three, and at 19 years old, he is clearly the new face of whatever comes next for this franchise. Everybody else should at least be discussed, because the Clippers can’t afford to act tough when they have no first-round control for years.
That doesn’t mean they should dump Garland or Ingram for bad value, because Garland is only 26 and averaged 18.8 points and 6.7 assists while shooting 39.6% from three last season, so a player like that can still be part of a competitive roster or bring back a serious package later. The point is that there shouldn’t be many emotional attachments here, if a contender offers a strong first-round package for Garland, or good young pieces for another veteran, the Clippers have to listen.
Dunn is the easiest example because he is 32, making only $5.7 million, and isn’t part of the long-term project. Turning him into three future second-round picks is exactly the type of small move the Clippers should keep making, because one second-rounder doesn’t look like much, but five, six, or eight of them can later become trade currency, cheap rookies, or pieces in a bigger package.
After what happened with their first-round picks, the Clippers can’t wait for one huge rebuilding trade to save everything, they need to slowly collect value wherever they can, and Dunn for three seconds is a pretty easy place to start.