You know the NBA Offseason is in its dog days when I re-start the Where Are They Now articles, a very long running series dating back to Clips Nation documenting the career of former Clippers’ players. With Chris Paul returning to the Clippers, I wanted to take a look back at the days immediately after he left the team for the first time, and so I will be reviewing some of the Clippers from the fun 2017-2018 season. First up: Sindarius Thornwell.

Clippers Career

Sindarius Thornwell was taken with the 48^th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft, continuing the Clippers’ tradition of taking older players in the draft (Reggie Bullock, CJ Wilcox, Brice Johnson, etc.). Expectations are always pretty low for players taken so low, but Sindarius immediately raised them through a strong Summer League. He then went on to play a real role for the 2018 Clippers, playing in 73 games (starting 16) for a team that went 42-40. A limited (to be kind) offensive player, Sindarius played minutes because of his defense and energy, which was the M.O. of that squad.

Unfortunately for Sindarius (but fortunately for the Clippers), the selection of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in the 2018 Draft and the improved health of Pat Beverley (he barely played in 2017) pushed Thornwell way down the depth chart. Sindarius still played in 64 games for the incredibly fun 48-34 squad, but averaged just 4.9 minutes per game, with most of his playing time coming in garbage time or for very limited defensive situations.

Then, in the summer of 2019, the Clippers brought in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, and everything changed (Avatar the Last Airbender reference for those who know). For a team trying to compete for a championship, there was no longer room on the end of the bench for a defensive-first prospect already in his mid-20s, and so Sindarius was waived in early July.

2020 Season

Sindarius signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers to a training camp deal, but was waived before the season started. He thus spent most of his time in the G-League, logging 40 games for the Rio Grand Valley Vipers. Unfortunately, it was not a great season for Sindarius, who averaged just 9.2 points on 42.6% shooting from the field and 28.9% from deep. His inability to do much on the offensive end (though he did average 4.6 assists per game) did not bode well for his NBA prospects.

Sindarius was in fact signed at the very end of the season by the New Orleans Pelicans in a COVID-season only “substitution deal” but played just two inconsequential games for them.

2021 Season

The Pelicans must have liked what they saw from Sindarius, however, because they re-signed him in December of 2020 before the start of the season (that season started just before Christmas). The Pelicans waived him before the trade deadline before re-signing him to multiple 10-day deals. In total, Sindarius played 14 games for the Pels, averaging just 1.2 points in 5.2 minutes per game as a primarily defensive-oriented player.

When Sindarius’ second 10-day deal expired, the Orlando Magic stepped in and signed him to a two-way deal. Sindarius actually got more playing time than he had in years, averaging 20.6 minutes per game in his seven appearances for Orlando. Sadly, he was dreadful on offense, shooting 32% from the field and 28.6% from three.

Sindarius’ lack of offense game was his downfall, and those games for the Magic were the last time he appeared in the NBA.

2022 Season

After sticking in the NBA for parts of four seasons (legitimately a nice career for the 48^th pick), Sindarius finally went overseas, signing with German side Ratiopharm Ulm for the 2022 season. Ulm has been one of the better teams in the German League (BBL) in recent years, and competed in Eurocup that season. Across 42 games played, Sindarius started 39 and averaged 29.9 minutes per game, playing a key role. He also shot well for the first time in his professional career, averaging 44.4% from the field, 39% from three (on 3.9 attempts!), and 81.8% from the line (3.7 attempts) and scoring 12.5 points per game. A much-needed bounce back season for Sindarius.

2023 Season

Sindarius parlayed his excellent 2022 campaign into a deal with Frutti Extra Bursapor of the Turkish Basketball League (BSL), one of the best domestic leagues outside of the US. Oddly, Thornwell played just four games for Bursapor, and then did not play at all the rest of the year. I’m not sure what happened here, whether it was an injury, suspension, personal reasons, or something else, but it was a lost season for Sindarius.

2024 Season

The next time Sindarius played basketball it was for Avtodor Saratov of the Russian Basketball League (VTB). He suited up for 39 games, starting 34, and had a similar (if somewhat worse) season to his 2022 campaign for Ulm. Sindarius shot pretty well, collected a good number of rebounds, and scoring in the low double-digits. At this point, this seems like what Sindarius is at this level

2025 Season

In August 2024, Sindarius signed with Zastal Zielona Gora of the Polish Basketball League. He played and started in 17 games for Zastal before leaving the team in February 2025 and moving to the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Like so many former NBA players, China beckoned. Sindarius played 12 games for the Flying Tigers, but started just three, and played in fewer minutes per game than he had since leaving the NBA.

Future

Now 30 years old (turning 31 in November), Sindarius Thornwell seems well past the point of an NBA return. He’s clearly playing at a level where he can continue finding jobs overseas, but at this point I’d also imagine he’s not close to returning to a true top-level league (Euroleague) or team. Ultimately, while Sindarius’ defense at his size made him a useful bit player in the NBA, his lack of development as an offensive player has held him back from a steady tenure with any team. Hopefully he can keep playing another few years and reach the decade mark of his professional career.

Where Are They Now: Sindarius Thornwell
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ main roster is already settled, with 14 players with full NBA contracts all set for training camp and the start of the 2025-2026 season. However, they have continued to tinker on the margins, with multiple pieces of roster news breaking yesterday.

First, Shams Charania of ESPN announced that the Clippers were signing guard TyTy Washington to a one-year deal. It was not specified in the tweet, but it was later confirmed that this deal is an Exhibit 10 contract, making it an elevated training camp signing. Washington is a fourth-year guard who was drafted by the Rockets at 29 in the 2021 draft, but was traded and then waived after his rookie season. He has been on the Bucks and Suns the past two years on two-way deals, and has played just 58 NBA games with limited minutes.

Later in the day, Michael Scotto of Hoopshype broke the news that the Clippers were re-signing wing Jordan Miller to a two-way deal. To clear room for Miller, the Clippers waived Patrick Baldwin Jr. from the two-way deal he signed late last season. However, Law Murray of the Athletic stated that the Clippers were hopeful Baldwin Jr. would join the team in training camp. I’m not surprised by this swap: Miller is too old to really be a prospect, but he’s closer to an NBA-level player than Baldwin, whose athleticism did not cut it even in Summer League.

Essentially, where the back half of the roster stands right now is this: Cam Christie and Yanic Konan Niederhauser are on full roster deals and expected to remain on the roster going into the season. Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders, and Trentyn Flowers are on two-way deals, with TyTy Washington and Patrick Baldwin Jr. on Exhibit 10 deals. NBA teams can bring 21 players into training camp, so the Clippers could technically add two more players on Exhibit 10 or other training camp deals.

The Clippers don’t seem heavily tied to anyone on two-way deals. Law (in his tweets yesterday) indicated that Jordan and Kobe are actually a bit “safer” than Flowers, and that all three will face competition from the training camp invitees for those two-way deals. If I had to guess, I think the three of those guys will win the two-way spots, but who knows.

That honestly might do it for the Clippers this summer unless some unexpected trade happens. The Clippers will not carry 15 full roster spots into the season, and their three two-way slots are all filled as well. The last pieces of business might be signing the last two training camp deals, but it is possible those are so unimportant they won’t even make “news” rounds on Twitter.

Clippers Make Multiple Back End Roster Moves
Robert Flom

After years of speculation about a reunion, news broke today that the Clippers will in fact sign Chris Paul to a one-year veteran’s minimum deal, bringing the franchise great back home.

Chris Paul spent six seasons with the Clippers from 2011 to 2017, serving as one of the centerpieces of the Lob City era. Despite those teams never breaking through to the Western Conference Finals, that era turned the Clippers franchise around – there is no Steve Ballmer or 213 era without Chris Paul. Chris Paul brought eyeballs, success on the court, and professionalism that had not existed in the franchise before. He changed the game.

Paul himself has a pretty ironclad case as “greatest Clipper ever”, with by far the strongest resume of any Clippers’ player. In his six seasons, he made five All Star games, earned 3 All-NBA First Teams and 2 All-NBA Second Teams, and received 6 All-Defense First Teams honors. He earned MVP ballot placement in each of those seasons as well, ranking 3rd in 2012 and 4th in 2013. No other Clippers player comes close to those accolades.

Forget Chris Paul, Clippers’ legend, for a moment. What about Chris Paul, the player, in 2025? Well, Paul is now 40, and is entering an absolutely ludicrous 21st season in the NBA. He played in all 82 games last year for the Spurs, averaging 8.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 7.4 assists on 42.7/37.7/92.4 shooting splits and only 1.6 turnovers per game. Paul basically never forgets to the rim or the free throw line anymore, but he remains a capable ballhandler, smart defender, and solid three-point shooter. Despite being far, far from the player he was for the Clippers, he was a positive impact presence for the Spurs by all accounts last year.

How Paul fits on the current roster is a bit more of a mystery. Paul makes 11 veteran, rotation-caliber players on the Clippers’ roster. Coaches like Steve Kerr last year have experimented with more than 10 players in a rotation (he got up to 12 last season), but it’s uncommon. When the team is fully healthy, at least one of if not two capable players might not get run. I’ll have another article breaking down all the possibilities there, but I think CP3 himself is a prime candidate to not play in that scaled down rotation, especially since he and James Harden simply can’t play together at this stage of their careers.

I know some people are worried about the Clippers having too many mouths to feed in the rotation, and locker room issues popping up as a result. I also know other people either were never huge fans of Chris Paul, or have since soured on him due to his presence on Clippers’ rivals in Houston and Phoenix. I get all that.

To me, however, this is an undeniable win. As detailed above, I believe Chris Paul is the greatest player in franchise history. To have him coming back to complete his storied, all-time career in a Clippers’ jersey is awesome, and I think his first and final games of the season will be incredible to witness. Welcome back, Point God.

Clippers to Sign Chris Paul
Robert Flom

The Clippers close out their 2025 Summer League with a game against the Memphis Grizzlies. The game is scheduled at 5 PM ET, and there are only a few games today, so that timing should be roughly accurate. The game is only being televised on ESPNU, so it might be tough to access for people that don’t have League Pass or Clippervision.

These late Summer League games are somehow even more useless than the rest of Summer League, as so many guys have already been sent home (including nearly all top first and second-year players) and competitive drive is at a low. Thus, I wouldn’t take nearly anything away from this game.

All that being said, this is the last Clippers’ basketball we will see for close to two and a half months, so we may as well enjoy. Let’s hope the Clippers send out all of their actual roster players and they show out in their last opportunity in Vegas.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 5 Thread
Robert Flom

The 3-0 Summer League Clippers take on the Denver Nuggets for their final game of “group” play before the Summer League Playoffs. The game has a start time of 8:00 PM PT that will probably be more like 8:20, and will be played at the Thomas & Mack Center on ESPN2.

If the Clippers win this game, their 4-0 record will get them into the Summer League Playoffs, not like that means very much. Still, it’s always fun to see players try hard in games that matter, and for these Summer Leaguers, winning the championship would be cool.

As for the Clippers themselves, Game 3 was one of the worst games of basketball I’ve ever seen, and that includes many years of watching Summer League. The Clippers’ defense was good (Trentyn Flowers was particularly impactful in that game) but their offense was abysmal. They will need to score more than 63 points to win any other game in Vegas.

For this one, I’d like to see Cam Christie and Pat Baldwin continue to score in ways that aren’t jump shots, Jordan Miller do some playmaking, and Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Flowers bring energy and offense in transition.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 4 Thread
Robert Flom

Well, after two weeks of rumors, Shams Charania announced today that the Clippers will sign Bradley Beal to a two-year, $11M (with a player option on the second year) deal after he completes his buyout with the Suns. Beal will earn back some of his buyout money and get a chance to earn another bag in free agency next year if he balls out for the Clippers, while the Clippers get a veteran scorer on a cheap deal.

Beal just turned 32 and is entering his 14^th year in the NBA after 11 seasons with the Wizards and two with the Suns. A three-time All Star, Beal’s tenure with the Suns was a disastrous one, ending with one of the largest buyouts in NBA history. But what about his fit with the Clippers? Especially considering that all of the initial reporting is that Beal will be starting at shooting guard for the Clippers, replacing the departed Norm Powell.

Beal is not fully washed. He’s not the same player he was five years ago, but he averaged 17.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists across his 106 games in Phoenix while shooting 50.5% from the field, 40.7% from three (4.7 attempts), and 80.8% from the line (2.6 attempts). He’s still a capable three-level scorer, and is as tough to guard as anyone in the NBA when he gets hot. While not as good off-ball as he was early in his career, Beal did play a lot off the ball alongside Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and will be in a similar situation with the Clippers playing off James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. At the same time, he offers a dynamism with the ball in his hands that nobody else on the Clippers can match. On offense, despite some worries about “too many mouths to feed” (which is valid, more on that later), Beal seems like a clean fit.

Comparing Beal to Norm Powell is interesting. All of the advanced stats would say Norm was a (significantly) better player than Beal last year, despite Beal’s pedigree. Norm scored more, shot better from three while taking more threes, and got to the line more. Norm was simply a significantly more reliable and deadly scorer than Beal. Both are bad defenders, with Beal being a bit larger and sturdier than Norm, and Norm probably being somewhat quicker at this stage. Beal, while not an amazing rebounder, is stronger on the glass than Norm, which is nice. Most importantly, Beal is a far, far better playmaker for others, capable of truly running an offense at times and operating in the pick-and-roll as a passer in a way Norm could never do consistently. Thus, the Clippers are losing some scoring punch, but are getting a somewhat more well-rounded player in return.

Beal’s availability is also a matter of concern. In the past six years he’s played in 57, 60, 40, 50, 53, and 53 games. Even with the first two of those being COVID-shortened seasons, that’s a tough track record. That said, if there’s a roster where availability doesn’t matter a ton (even with Kawhi’s availability being an issue as well), it’s the Clippers, who have several players that can fill in Beal’s spot in the starting lineup in a number of different ways – Bogdan Bogdanovic as the cleanest skillset replacement, Derrick Jones Jr. for an athleticism upgrade, and Kris Dunn as the defensive floor raiser. If both Beal and Kawhi are out, the Clippers will still have some scoring options alongside Harden in Ivica Zubac and John Collins. And, if Harden is out, then the Clippers will have a semi-feasible short-term fill-in with Beal’s ball-handling and playmaking.

I think the overall rotation and lineup decisions that Beal’s arrival (and seemingly likely starting) foists upon Ty Lue are a bit more challenging. Harden-Beal-Kawhi-Zu are going to be locked in, which is a ton of scoring but also a lot of guys who want the ball, and not a huge amount of defense or role-playing connective pieces. John Collins seemed like the starting power forward when the Clippers traded for him, and he does add some much needed size and athleticism. But if the Clippers start Collins, their perimeter defense will be severely lacking. Jones Jr. and Dunn are two other potential starting options, and would solve the perimeter defense issue, but would create further deficiencies for size and rebounding. The bench rotation would also be a bit fouled up either way, as if Collins start, both Dunn and DJJ will come off the bench, which offers some redundancies, whereas if Collins comes off the pine, the Batum-Collins-Lopez frontcourt would look mighty slow. Staggering players will help, of course, but Ty Lue will have his hands full figuring everything out.

Honestly, I think my biggest concern with the Beal signing is chemistry. The Clippers won last year through defense and chemistry – everyone on the team seemed to get along and they just seemed like a together bunch that was rowing in the right direction. Beal, while not a notable malcontent, was unhappy in Phoenix last year with his role and his effort took a notable hit. The Suns were a miserable group last year, and winning cures a lot of concerns, so I’m not too worried, but I don’t think he’ll get more touches or a larger role in LA than he had in Phoenix. There have also been rumors of Beal being a less-than-stellar teammate going back to his time in Washington. Hopefully the chance to revitalize his career on a good team with veteran teammates is enough to keep Beal happy and pulling alongside everyone else. Still, the team’s overall spirit is something I will be keeping a close eye on – even without Beal’s potential issues, it’s tough to have great chemistry two years in a row.

The Clippers’ free agency is not over, even though this is likely the last big move they’ll make this summer. After all, the Clippers only have 13 roster spots filled, and while they usually prefer to leave one open, that still leaves one spot to fill. The Clippers’ depth chart is quite well filled out, with 10 clear top rotation players followed by the young guys (Cam Christie, Kobe Brown, Yanic Konan Niederhauser) and two-ways (Trentyn Flowers, Kobe Sanders, Patrick Baldwin Jr.). Their 14^th spot could just be filled by Jordan Miller, but my guess is the Clippers sign another veteran instead. Rumors have swirled around Chris Paul, but he’d be outside the Clippers’ current rotation, and my guess is he wants to play a real role on a team. Still, I’d expect the Clippers to make a minor move or two in the coming weeks.

Overall, I think this is a fine signing for the Clippers. Beal has his warts in terms of availability, fit, and attitude, but he is an upgrade over some ways in Norm Powell, and even if you prefer Norm in a vacuum, adding in the John Collins piece means the Clippers are a more talented team than they were last season. Fingers crossed that the team that looks like a fairly competitive Western Conference heavyweight on paper turns out to be one in actuality in three months when the season starts.

Clippers to Sign Bradley Beal in Free Agency
Robert Flom

The 2025 Summer League Clippers are 2-0 heading into their game tonight against the Lakers, which is on at 7:30 PM PT on NBA TV and ESPN+. Just as with previous games, this one will likely start late, so I’d expect 7:45 PM at earliest.

The Clippers had a solid win yesterday against the Bucks, with a dominant start to the 4th quarter giving them the edge to get the win. The Clippers received 20+ point games from Cam Christie, Patrick Baldwin Jr., and Jordan Miller, all of whom played quite well. For other notable Clippers’ summer leagues, Kobe Brown sat out with his ankle sprain, while Trentyn Flowers and Kobe Sanders had nice outings off the bench. The lone Clippers’ roster player who did not have a great night was Yanic Konan Niederhauser, who had a loud dunk and block in the 4th quarter but was quiet the rest of the game.

Hopefully the Clippers play well again tonight and get the win. Even in Summer League, it’s nice to beat the Lakers.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 3 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers play their second game of the 2025 Summer League tonight at 6:30 PM PT against the Bucks.

The game will be on NBA TV and ESPN+, and is located at Cox Pavillion (the smaller of the two Vegas courts). As always with Summer League, games can run quite late, so don’t anticipate the game actually starting at 6:30.

Kobe Brown left the Clippers’ first Summer League game with an ankle injury, but after the game the Clippers said the withdrawal was precautionary, so I’d guess he plays in today’s game. Similarly, Patrick Baldwin, who missed the first game due to his own ankle injury, said that he is hopeful he’ll be able to play some minutes today.

That’s about all! Every year it gets harder for me to take Summer League very seriously, but hopefully the Clippers have another strong outing tonight.

Clippers 2025 Summer League Game 2 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers’ first Summer League is in two days, so it’s time for my annual tradition of reviewing the Clippers’ summer roster and giving brief thoughts on each player.

The Roster Guys

Yanic Konan Niederhauser – Niederhauser is an archetype of player – athletic big man – that I think generally looks pretty good in unstructured play like Summer League. We all know he’s hyper athletic, and there will therefore be some fun dunks and blocks, but I’ll be watching his positioning on both ends closely. Really, the biggest complaint about Niederhauser I’ve heard from scouts and draft people is he’s not all that competent at basketball fundamentals, so just seeing how he moves on the court and does basic things (box out, set picks, set himself on defense) will be the important check boxes for me.

Kobe Sanders – I already gave some initial thoughts on Kobe when the Clippers selected him in the draft, but I want to reiterate that I think it was a good pick and I like his skillset for the NBA. In Summer League, I am going to be focusing on two things – his defense, and how easily he’s able to get to his spots on offense. Kobe’s athleticism is not great, and if he’s unable to create any separation on offense or stick with perimeter players on defense it won’t be a good sign. If he looks comfortable navigating play on offense and doesn’t look completely cooked on defense I will feel good about his Summer League.

Cam Christie – The 46^th pick in the 2024 Draft, Christie barely played in the NBA last year, instead spending nearly all of his time down in the G League. This is understandable for Christie, who is still just 19 years old and was not physically ready for the NBA last year. We all know Christie’s shot is buttery and that he has the size of an off-guard in the NBA. What I want to see is how his year of professional conditioning, strength training, nutrition, and play has done in terms of his physicality on both ends. Can he successfully get all the way to the rim on drives and not get bumped off his spot? Can he hold up offensive players as a defender and not give ground? These are the things I will be watching for in Summer League.

Trentyn Flowers – Despite Flowers being picked up last year by the Clippers as an undrafted free agent, this will actually be his first Summer League appearance, as he had issues with getting out of his NBL contract to play for the Clippers last summer. Considering his age and rawness as a prospect, Flowers had a pretty strong campaign in the G-League, averaging 17.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.9 assists across 42 games played. He also shot the ball fairly well, with a 38.5% rate from deep on 4.3 attempts per game. In Summer League, I’d like to see Flowers create off the dribble using his athleticism and play sound defense. The defensive side of the ball is where Flowers needs to put in work – like many young wings, he’s not fully up to speed there. Summer League is a tough context to show advanced defense, but I would like to see some nice stops and competent rotations from Flowers as well as his usual scoring prowess on the other end.

Jordan Miller – I’m counting Jordan as a roster player even though the Clippers cut him yesterday, as all indications are that they’d ideally like to retain him in some capacity. Frankly, considering how dominant Jordan was at last Summer League, I don’t really need to see much from him, but I hope he shows out to convince the Clippers (or another team) to give him a deal.

Kobe Brown – I feel pretty similarly about Kobe as I do about Jordan. He hasn’t been as dominant as Jordan at this level, but he’s also 25 years old and has proven himself in Summer League and G-League. Really, I honestly think the Clippers might be doing Kobe a favor by putting him on their Summer League roster to give him another chance to show out – all the reporting seems to be the Clippers are ready to move on from Kobe, and this could be a bit of a showcase. As always with Kobe, I will be watching his three-point shot and how smooth and comfortable he looks from deep.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. – Baldwin Jr. was signed to a two-way deal by the Clippers in March and it seems as though they’d like to keep him around for next year. Baldwin is going into his fourth season in the NBA, and has logged 826 minutes at the NBA level – more than any other player on the Clippers’ roster. A tall (6’9) forward, Baldwin Jr. can shoot but has below-average athleticism and doesn’t do a ton else besides rebound. I’ll be looking to see if he’s any more adept at getting to the rim or at least finding spots in the midrange, since we know the three-point shot is mostly there.

Exhibit 10 Players

Jahmyl Telfort – Telfort is a five-year college player who played his last two seasons at Butler after his first three at Northeastern. A 6’7 guard, Telfort is interesting because his two seasons at Butler were much better than his stint at Northeastern despite playing in a much tougher conference. Telfort is an all-around offensive guard who scored most of his points from two-point range while chipping in reasonable amounts of rebounds and assists. The size is interesting for a guard, as is the production, but Telfort is very old for a prospect (turned 24 in April) and the three-point shot was inconsistent in college. Considering how many guards the Clippers have, I don’t think he’ll get a two-way spot, but who knows.

John Poulakidas – Poulakidas is a senior from Yale who played all four seasons at Yale, including starting and playing heavy minutes the last three. He emerged as an NBA prospect in his senior season, when he averaged 19.4 points per game (leading the Ivy League in scoring) while shooting 40.8% from three (7.9 attempts) and an insane 89.7% from the line (3.2 attempts). Poulakidas has decent size at 6’5, making him a standard off-guard in terms of build, and his best skill by far is his shooting. He doesn’t do a ton else on the court, but if he can hold his own on defense the shooting alone could make him an NBA player. I’ll be curious to see how he’s able to get his shot off against much bigger and more athletic competition than he’s seen previously.

Other Players

Izaiah Brockington – Brockington, a 6’4 guard, has played a single game of NBA basketball, for the Pelicans in 2024. He played for the San Diego Clippers for part of the 2025 season, and has in general bounced around the G-League as well as other leagues (mostly recently Canada). Brockington is a scorer who can shoot the ball but hasn’t shown a ton of other production. Considering how many guards the Clippers already have in camp, my guess is he’s just there as a favor for the G-League squad, but maybe he shows out. He is already 26, which is a mark against him having much upside, but we will see.

Juwan Gary – Gary is an undrafted rookie who played five seasons in college across Nebraska and Alabama. A long-time starter at the Power Five level, Gary is an older rookie that probably doesn’t shoot well enough (29.4% from three across college career on 2.3 attempts per game) to make it in the NBA at his size (6’6), but he is a solid rebounder and defender who brings energy. He’s another player I’d guess is more of a depth piece and potential San Diego Clipper roster guy.

Zavier Simpson – First off, Zavier Simpson, aka “Captain Hook” is a Michigan legend. He’s therefore automatically the best player on this roster. Second, he legitimately has had the most successful professional career of anyone on this summer league team, earning an All-EuroCup Second Team placement last year for a Romanian team and leading the EuroCup league in assists per game. A small (he’s listed at 6’0 but is not that tall) point guard, Simpson is a classic gritty, undersized point that can run the offense and play defense at the point of attack. He’s played 11 games in the NBA for the Grizzlies and Thunder, but his shot has not been good enough to stick. At age 28 he’s unlikely to make the jump back to the NBA, but maybe the Clippers are interested in him as a Xavier Moon type two-way signing for steady point guard minutes in a pinch. Enjoy the hook shots folks.

Reviewing the Clippers 2025 Summer League Roster
Robert Flom

Well, the most discussed/rumored trade in recent Clippers history finally happened, as the Clippers traded Norm Powell to the Heat, sent their 2027 second round pick to the Utah Jazz, and received John Collins from Utah. Collins has been mentioned as a Clippers target for years, and he is now at last on his way to Los Angeles.

From a roster perspective, this move makes quite a bit of sense for the Clippers. The reason Collins has been a name that has come up so frequently is because he is a large, athletic power forward that can play small-ball center, and the Clippers have all too frequently been small, old, and unathletic in the past five years. Collins does not fix those issues, but he goes a ways towards addressing them in the short term.

The West is just getting bigger. The Thunder play with two bigs a lot, the Rockets added a center and multiple large forwards this offseason, the Timberwolves kept their two key big men, and the Nuggets traded for Jonas Valanciunas. The Clippers really needed to add more size to the roster, and shifting from a small guard in Norm to a large forward in Collins will help them deal with those larger, physical teams in the West.

Collins has been around for a while, so I don’t think I need to provide a ton of in-depth analysis on his game, but he’s coming off probably the second-best season of his career, averaging 19 points, 8.2 rebounds, and a steal and a block for the (admittedly tanking) Jazz while shooting 52.7% from the field and 39.9% from three (3.7 attempts per game). He’s shot well in general the past two years, seemingly course correcting from his awful shooting season in 2023 (when his finger was messed up). He’s still not a high-volume shooter for a forward, but he can space the floor for Ivica Zubac at least a bit. His main addition, however, will be as an above-the-rim finisher for James Harden and as a support on the glass and back line defensively.

Right now, the current Clippers’ starting lineup would seem to be James Harden, Kris Dunn, Kawhi Leonard, Collins, and Ivica Zubac, with a bench of Bogdan Bogdanovic, Derrick Jones Jr., Nic Batum, and Brook Lopez. All of a sudden, after seeming so guard heavy for so many years, with Norm gone and Amir Coffey gone, the Clippers now could use another guard, preferably one who provides shooting and ball handling. I do think the Collins trade therefore increases the likelihood of Bradley Beal ending up a Clipper – he’d likely replace Dunn in that starting unit and enable the Clippers to keep Collins in the starting role or shift in Derrick Jones Jr. However, adding a bench guard like Chris Paul or Malcolm Brogdon would make sense as well.

This move also checks boxes from a long-term perspective. Norm was looking for an extension, and it was clear the Clippers did not want to give him a deal that would conflict with their ability to get to cap space in 2027 (or even next summer). It therefore made sense for both sides to move on, with the Clippers now able to evaluate Collins and see how he fares before he fits free agency next summer.

As for Norm, he gets to go to a Miami Heat team that prizes the work ethic that he consistently displays, and will play a big role on a team that doesn’t have much in the way of scoring. Norm was highly productive for the Clippers in his 3+ years on the team, and his career year in 2025 was a significant reason for the Clippers’ overperformance that season. Alas, he ended his Clippers’ career on a bit of a sour note against the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs, and it’s hard not to think that the Clippers being so physically outmatched against Denver played a part in the Clippers making this deal. I’ll be rooting for Norm going forward; he played hard, helped bridge the gap between 213 and the new era of Clippers’ ball, and had some very memorable performances as a Clipper.

I don’t think the Clippers are done yet – they will almost certainly add a guard of some kind in the coming days. For now, welcome John Collins!

Clippers Trade Norm Powell for John Collins
Robert Flom