Former Clippers Guard Lou Williams Shares Emotional Conversation with Patrick Beverly After Trade

The Los Angeles Clippers finally addressed their problem area as they traded to bring in veteran point guard Rajon Rondo. But this came at a cost as the Clippers had to trade away key rotational player, Lou Williams.

William and Beverley were the backcourt duo of the Clippers team, which shocked everyone by making a playoff appearance in the 2018-19 season. Lou Will had become a key player coming off of the bench because of his scoring prowess.

His scoring punch from the bench certainly stood out, as he has been named the sixth man of the year thrice. In his four seasons with the Clippers, Williams truly showed his quality, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game.

But the 34-year-old saw a massive dip in his minutes under new head coach Tyronn Lue. Williams was averaging only 21.9 minutes per game. With a dip in his playing time, there was a noticeable dip in his numbers as he averaged 12.1 points, 3.4 assists, and 2.1 rebounds per game.

Former Clippers’ guard Lou Williams reveals his reaction to being traded

Given how synonymous Lou Williams had become with the Clippers’ franchise, it did shock several fans seeing the 34-year-old being traded away. Williams was also somewhat astonished with the trade.

In an interview with LA Times, the 3-time Sixth Man of the Year revealed his reaction to being traded away to the Hawks. “Man, it hurts, just to be candid.

“It hurts. I had some very emotional conversations with those guys after the trade, in the entirety, as well as Pat, you know. Pat called me the other day a little emotional that my locker was empty.

Williams also opened up about the special bond he shared with guard Patrick Beverley.

“Pat and I were the longest-tenured guys on that group, we were there four years. We were on that [2019] team that expected us not to make the playoffs and we put that group on our backs and battled a very talented Golden State team and when you do something like that, you kind of feel emboldened like you were part of the culture that was being created.”

The 34-year-old also revealed what he was expecting ahead of a busy schedule.

“We had some success, and we were gearing up for another deep playoff run, a championship run, that was our mentality, and I thought I would finish the season there.”

The Clippers’ trading away Lou Williams does seem good on paper but might end up hurting them in the long run. Rajon Rondo does add playmaking, but with Williams gone, the Clippers will have a dearth of bench scorers right now. Were the Clippers right in trading away Lou Williams to the Hawks?