Jamal Crawford and Lance Stephenson (Photo : NBAE via Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Clippers' starting core are clicking, but some of their role players have been less productive early in the season, which speculates an imminent deal for Jamal Crawford and a struggling Lance Stephenson.
Following their 112-108 loss against the reigning NBA champs Golden State Warriors, the Clippers' lack of depth, despite new addition of veteran and young former stars, was exposed.
Sheridan Hoops reported Bill Simmons' tweet that night about the Clippers needing to dispose Crawford and Stephenson's contract for a defensive-three-point-shooting wingman.
Both players seem expendable with their underwhelming performances early in the 2015-2016 NBA regular season, and if their subpar outings continue, the Clippers may be forced to get their contracts out.
The availability of top wingmen around the league is limited, but there are still a few handful that could fit into Doc Rivers' playbooks.
1. Luol Deng (Miami Heat) - Deng, who is in the final year of his 2-year $19 million deal with the Heat, has a reputation of being an elite wingman when he was playing for the Chicago Bulls. However, he has not been putting up big numbers ever since coming off his one year stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Last season, he averaged 14.0 points per game, the lowest since his rookie season in 2004. He also shot 35 percent from downtown, which is a little higher than his career percentage of 33 percent.
Deng would still be a huge upgrade at the wing position for Rivers and the Clippers, although it would be tricky to pull off a trade with the Heat involving Crawford and/or Stephenson. However, Miami could consider trading him now to get something in return before Deng hits free agency in 2016.
2. Rudy Gay (Sacramento Kings) - Gay had a productive season last year with the Kings, scoring 21.1 points and grabbing 5.9 rebounds per game.
The former Toronto Raptor could certainly uplift the Clippers' need for a wingman, but if ever the trade goes down, the Kings may ask for more than Crawford and Stephenson to give away Gay, who still has two years remaining in his contract.
3. Jeff Green (Memphis Grizzlies) - Green, also in the last year of his contract with Memphis, could be missing piece Rivers needed in order to lift the Clippers franchise first ever NBA championship banner.
Green has had a solid display for the Grizzlies and the Celtics last year. He averaged 17.6 points with a 30 percent shooting from beyond the arc for Boston, while his late season stint with the Grizzlies increased his three-point percentage to 36 percent on 13.1 points a game.
This may be the more realistic trade target for the Clippers as the Grizzlies are struggling early and have been linked to trade speculations in an attempt to inject youth to Dave Joerger's side, according to ESPN's Marc Stein.
There are also a handful unsigned and third-string wingmen that could still provide quality plays for the Clippers like Landry Fields and Francisco Garcia, who have been trying to resurrect their NBA career.
Fields' scoring average has gone down every year, while Garcia, also a three-and-d guy has diminishing, was waived by the Rockets in December.
However, the Clippers may have to wait until the mid-season to consider their options. With only six games into the regular season, it is still too early to predict if a trade is needed, but if struggles continue for both Crawford and Stephenson, they may find themselves in another team.
