The Clippers Bought a Late-Second Upside Bet
Los Angeles acquired the draft rights to Brandon Boston Jr., the No. 51 pick in the 2021 draft, from New Orleans on August 7, 2021. The Clippers' announcement described the return as cash considerations, while Basketball-Reference's transaction ledger also tracks a protected 2022 Sacramento second-round pick that would go to the Pelicans only if it landed from No. 55 through No. 60. It did not convey. That left Los Angeles with a young wing prospect for cash and a conditional asset that never became an NBA pick for New Orleans.
Boston Gave Los Angeles Three Seasons of Real NBA Minutes
Boston never became a core player, but the Clippers did receive usable value from the rights they purchased. He appeared in 105 regular-season games over three seasons for Los Angeles and logged 1,353 minutes. As a rookie he played 51 games and averaged 6.7 points in 14.9 minutes, giving an injury-hit Clippers roster another developmental scorer. His role shrank over the next two years and he left after the 2023-24 season, so this was not a hidden star outcome. It was still a successful conversion of a very small outgoing package into three years of roster depth.
New Orleans' Draft Return Never Materialized
The Pelicans had acquired Boston's rights from Memphis as part of the larger August 7 transaction that also brought Jonas Valanciunas and Trey Murphy III to New Orleans. Moving the No. 51 rights immediately for cash and a protected future second was defensible asset recycling at the time. The problem in hindsight is simple: the protected 2022 second did not convey. New Orleans therefore did not receive a future player or draft selection from the Clippers side of this exchange, while Boston became an actual three-season contributor in Los Angeles. That creates a modest but clear Clippers edge.
Final Verdict
Clippers Win — Los Angeles B-, New Orleans C-. Brandon Boston Jr. produced 105 regular-season games and 1,353 minutes for the Clippers after arriving as the No. 51 pick, including a 51-game rookie season at 6.7 points per game. New Orleans received cash and a protected 2022 second-round pick that did not convey. The Pelicans' decision to monetize a late second-round prospect was understandable, but Los Angeles turned the transaction into three seasons of real NBA depth without surrendering a pick that ultimately transferred.