Clippers Reportedly Staying Quiet At Trade Deadline
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — As Thursday's NBA trade deadline approaches, it appears the Clippers have no intention of making any moves.
Coach Vinny Del Negro shared on his confidence with his roster of players.
"We feel good with our team right now," Del Negro shared with ESPN. "Nothing's changed from that aspect. Nothing has been presented to any of us that makes sense to do anything different right now. We're always available and always looking to make our team as strong as possible, but right now we feel comfortable with our team."
Talk began circulating this week of the possibility of a trade that would send Eric Bledsoe and DeAndre Jordan to Boston for the Celtics' Kevin Garnett. Another rumor involved the acquisition of Paul Millsap from the Utah Jazz for Bledsoe or Caron Butler.
The main focus of the Clippers' front office seems to be motivating Chris Paul to sign a long-term extension with the team. Paul has argued that he wants to keep the roster unaltered.
"No, I like where we are," Paul said. "Nothing is necessary."
Del Negro has stated that he believes the Clippers, who have a comfortable lead in the Pacific division, have all the tools they need to make a run at the team's first championship, as long as they are healthy.
"We have an opportunity for the first time during the season to get healthy," Del Negro added. "There are a lot of things out and a lot of them aren't very accurate, but that's part of this time of the season. Different names are going to float out there, different scenarios that people talk about and a lot of them can't even work. You just deal with it and if it's an issue, we'll address it, but we had a good practice yesterday and good practice today."
The Clippers have made their case to be serious contenders in the NBA over the last couple years, and Paul likes where the team stands coming out of the All-Star break.
"I think our team has been outstanding," Paul shared. "I think our team chemistry has been outstanding. The way we've been playing has been great. We're No. 3 in the West. Unfortunately, we've had a few injuries and stuff like that, but we're still in a good place."
In the meantime, Del Negro's confidence leaves little to be pondered in the final hours before the trade deadline.
"We're just sitting back and we're happy with our team."
