Trade deadline day is exciting for the potential of blockbuster trades, or at least ones that will have an impact on the rest of the season and the playoff race. But it's also a day for teams to make minor moves around the edges -- either to look forward to the future or clean up their cap sheet.
The latest example of that kind of move comes from the Los Angeles Clippers. The Atlanta Hawks will receive Derrick Walton Jr.from the Clippers in exchange for cash, according to a report from Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.
After playing four seasons at Michigan, Walton went undrafted in 2017, and has bounced around the basketball world since then, suiting up briefly for the Miami Heat in the 2017-18 season, while also playing in the G-League, Lithuania and Germany. He made his way back stateside this season, and did well enough on the Clippers' Summer League team that they brought him to training camp. From there, he made the final 15-man roster, and has played a bit role this season, checking into 23 games and averaging 2.2 points.
Unfortunately, it seems his time in the NBA will be cut short once again. According to a report from Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, the Hawks are planning to waive Walton.
By moving Walton, the Clippers will open up a roster spot that they can use to take on a player in any potential trades or signings once buyout season starts. They'll also create a $1.55 million trade exception, according to Bobby Marks of ESPN.
This kind of trade isn't very exciting, and will fly under the radar for most fans, but little moves like this are sometimes necessary to facilitate other deals down the line, and it will be interesting to see what the Clippers do with their extra roster spot as they chase a championship.
