Baron Davis says the Clippers franchise got BETTER by trading its best player Tuesday ... telling TMZ Sports shipping Tobias Harris to the Sixers sets L.A. up really well for the future.
"Everybody lives in the now. Nobody thinks about 2-3 years ahead where the salary cap is going to be."
Translation ... B-Diddy thinks moving on from Harris, and a couple other players, for essentially a boatload of draft picks will make the Clips better down the road.
"When you make the trade, you always looking for 3-4 years out and I think the Clippers got some incredible pieces."
The other important thing Davis notes? There's a bunch of stars set to be free agents this offseason -- including Kawhi Leonard -- and now the Clips have the cash to make a run at those guys.
As for the Sixers' end of the deal ... Davis tells us they're also winners in the trade -- and are now FIRMLY in the hunt for the East's top seed.