Williams and the Clippers have agreed to a 3-year extension, ending all trade possibilities, for now.
The Los Angeles Clippers have traded Blake Griffin along with two others to the Detroit Pistons just last week. Then, two of their players have been on the radar of an Eastern Conference team for a long time already. That number just went down to a single player now.
Ending the possibilities of being traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Lou Williams has come to terms with the Clippers as both camps agreed to a contract extension for Williams to stay a Clipper for the next 3 years. According to ESPN, Williams, who is averaging a career-high 23 points per game this season, will earn 24 million dollars from his new contract and given the fact that he has been one of the few bright spots for the Clippers, he will earn every single dime from it. With Griffin doing his thing for the Pistons, we can expect Williams to be the focal point of the Clippers alongside DeAndre Jordan- that is if the latter will be around after the trade deadline.
What will this deal mean to the rest of the NBA?
DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams have been two of the players of the Clippers who are constantly included in the potential targets of teams who are aiming to make a big roster change. With Williams and the Clippers committed to sticking with one another, the trade rumors sounding Williams can rest, for now. While this certainly a good news for the Clippers who are lurking around in 9th place in the Western Conference with a 27-25 record and currently on a 2-game winning streak, this is certainly a bad news for teams who are aiming to acquire Williams. Why?
Here's why: Lou Williams is obviously one of the frontrunners for this season's Sixth Man of the Year as he has played 51 games while only starting in 14 of them. He has been a reliable scorer off the bench and that's someone that teams like the Cavs and the Milwaukee Bucks sorely need nowadays.
Conclusion
With Lou Williams locked up with the Clippers for the next 3 seasons, what will happen to DeAndre Jordan? Will he indeed get traded possibly to the Cavs? This pundit on wheels doesn't think so considering that it's JR Smith and/or Tristan Thompson that the Cavs are offering for DJ. But we shouldn't be surprised either. Why? Blake Griffin wasn't included in the trade rumors and yet, the NBA got surprised when the Clippers pulled the trigger.
