Clippers Trade Veteran Forward, Former Top Pick to Jazz For 2 Huge Upgrades

The L.A. Clippers are getting ahead of the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline with a weekend move.

According to Shams Charania and Bobby Marks of ESPN, L.A. is shipping out the contracts of veteran forward P.J. Tucker and former top-10 draft pick Mo Bamba, a future second-round draft selection, and cash considerations to the Utah Jazz in exchange for young center Drew Eubanks and veteran sharpshooting guard Patty Mills.

The move was made in part for present-day value, and in part to duck a pricey luxury tax bill. As Marks notes, L.A. now dips $4 million below the league's first luxury tax apron, which will allow the club to add buyout players and potentially make further moves at the trade deadline.

As Marks observes, the 36-year-old Mills is on an expiring $3.3 million veteran's minimum deal, which is a $2.1 million cap hit. Eubanks, meanwhile, is owed $4.8 million next season, though that contract only becomes fully guaranteed on January 10, 2026.

The 27-year-old Eubanks represents an upgrade over Bamba. Though Bamba, the former No. 6 overall selection out of Texas in the 2018 NBA Draft, has the outlines of a stretch five, he has failed to be able to consistently stay on the floor.

Eubanks has no pretensions of being able to connect from long range, but he's a solid post presence in spot minutes and can help shore up L.A.'s frontcourt depth behind starting center Ivica Zubac.

Across 37 games in 2024-25 (four starts), Eubanks is averaging 5.8 points on 60.7 percent shooting from the field and 63.2 percent shooting from the foul line, 4.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.9 blocks a night.

Mills, once an elite sharpshooting combo guard off the bench, has struggled as a shooter since his 2022-23 season with the Brooklyn Nets. He has played sparingly for Utah this year. In just 17 games, Mills is averaging 4.4 points on .342/.298/1.000 shooting splits, 1.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 0.7 steals a night.

Mills, who won a title as a key reserve for the San Antonio Spurs in 2014, is a career 38.5 percent 3-point shooter, on 4.4 triple tries per game. He has finished among the top 13 in Sixth Man of the Year voting twice.

The 28-20 Clippers are no doubt hoping the 36-year-old out of St. Mary's can recapture his shooting form this season with a change of locales, but this move seems to be more about Eubanks and cap relief than Mills.

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