Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with another former member of the team, forward Kobe Brown.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 250 pounds

Position: Power Forward

Age: 26

Years in NBA: 3

Key Regular Season Stats (for Clippers): 2.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, 0.8 assists, 0.3 steals, and 0.4 turnovers in 8.7 minutes per game across 34 games played (0 starts) on 39.3/26.5/80.8 (1.4 3PA, 0.8 FTA) shooting splits (52.4 True Shooting)

Expectations

The Clippers declined Kobe Brown’s fourth-year option before the season started, which indicated they didn’t see a future with him on the team. That has bitten teams in the past, but most of the time when teams do that, the player in question does not go on to punish them. It made sense for the Clippers to turn down Kobe’s option; he hadn’t played much his first two seasons with the team, and when he did, he was ineffective. Add in that the Clippers acquired John Collins to start at the 4, Kawhi had a healthy offseason, and the continued presence of Nic Batum, and there really wasn’t any room for Kobe at the forward position. He was not expected to factor into the Clippers’ season in any meaningful way, instead mostly serving in his usual garbage time/benchwarmer role.

Reality

The expectations, for once with the Clippers, more or less met reality. Kobe honestly probably played more than expected, as Kawhi Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr., and multiple guards were out simultaneously early in the season. In fact, Kobe played in nine consecutive games from November 20 through December 5, and logged more than 12 minutes in seven of them. That might not seem like much, but Kobe’s most consecutive games played for the Clippers in his prior two seasons was 10 in his rookie season, and the next most after that was 5. In short, there were stretches when Kobe was actually in the Clippers’ rotation due to injury, and he was mostly acceptable, albeit not good.

By the trade deadline, the Clippers had gotten healthier, and Kobe was out of the rotation once more. In early February, Kobe was sent along with Ivica Zubac to the Pacers as salary ballast and to keep rosters balanced. Kobe seemed to be a throw in, an afterthought. But that’s now how things played out. Kobe played in 27 games for the Pacers down the stretch (albeit for a tanking team) and started 10 while averaging 24.7 minutes per game. It was probably just small sample size, but Kobe was on fire for the Pacers from three after being a shaky shooter for his Clippers’ tenure, and also contributed as a rebounder and playmaker. The defense remained bad, and the Pacers were bad when Kobe was on the court, but he was legitimately productive for a sustained stretch in a way he never was for the Clippers. And you know what? Good for him!

Future with Clippers

Kobe is a free agent this summer, and it would be pretty shocking if he returned to the Clippers. While he was a widely liked teammate, the coaching staff made it clear they didn’t trust him to play actual minutes, and as a 26-year-old he’s no longer at an age to be considered a prospect to “stash” for development purposes. Honestly, I think there’s a fairly good chance he’s out of the NBA going forward, though he may have shown just enough on the Pacers to get him a minimum deal or a two-way contract. If any team would offer it to him, it would probably be the Pacers, who seemed to like him. Hopefully Kobe is able to stick around the NBA – I don’t think he’s an impact NBA player, but he’s a good guy and tries hard, and really did improve his play in Indiana. I will be rooting for him.

2026 Clippers Exit Interview: Kobe Brown
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with Isaiah Jackson, a backup center that was acquired at the trade deadline.

Basic Information

Height: 6’8

Weight: 220 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 24

Years in NBA: 5

Key Stats (for Clippers): 7.5 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks in 15.9 minutes per game across 17 games played (0 starts) on 76.4/0/54.8 (0.1 3PA, 1.8 FTA) shooting splits (74.1 True Shooting)

Expectations

Jackson was traded to the Clippers rather suddenly on February 5, the week of the trade deadline, along with Bennedict Mathurin and some draft capital in exchange for Ivica Zubac. Initial expectations for Jackson were murky. He was seen by most as a “throw-in” to the deal to make salaries work and just to fill the empty roster spot as a third center. With Brook Lopez still on the roster and rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser showing promise in limited minutes, Jackson’s role seemed dependent on what the Clippers wanted to do. Make more of a pivot towards the future? Starting Yanic and giving him free reign while playing Jackson in a backup role appeared to be a possibility. Go all out for a playoff spot? Brook starting and Jackson or Niederhauser fighting for the backup role seemed more likely. Regardless, with nobody on the roster near the cache of Zu, Jackson getting a shot at the rotation appeared probable even if his overall role was limited.

Reality

The Clippers went a direction I did not fully expect, giving Brook Lopez the starting role and significant minutes while locking in Yanic as the backup. Jackson only appeared in three of his first 10 games as a Clipper, and played in only garbage time in those stints.

All that changed on March 4 in a game against the Pacers, as Niederhauser went down with injury and Jackson took his spot as the backup center. Niederhauser was quickly ruled out for the rest of the season with a Lisfranc fracture, pushing Jackson into the rotation on a full-time basis. Jackson played well for the next few weeks, usually logging between 14 and 22 minutes and chipping in a handful of points, some rebounds, and defensive stats. The Clippers also played decently well, going 9-5 in that stretch (against admittedly weak competition) to keep themselves in solid position for a playoff spot. Jackson’s plus minus, always a notable stat to keep an eye on, demonstrated his efficacy; he was only a minus in five of those 14 games, and was only a double-digit minus twice compared to a double-digit plus five times. Things seemed to be going well.

Then, on March 29, Jackson was ruled out with an ankle injury. He was sidelined the rest of the regular season, a final injury blow that cost the Clippers dearly, as they lost multiple key games due to the lack of an inside scoring presence that Jackson could have helped provide. Jackson was cleared for the Clippers’ play-in game, but did not actually log minutes, as he’d been out for a while and was probably not 100% anyway.

Thus, Jackson’s season ended with just 17 games played for the Clippers. However, like some of the other youngsters and unlike so many of the veterans, Jackson’s performance was a pleasant surprise. He was extremely efficient as a scorer, active on defense, and seemed to immediately find chemistry with the rest of the roster. Considering he’d been seen as a throw-in to the Zubac trade, his loss down the final couple weeks of the season seemed shockingly important to the team.

Future with Clippers

Jackson is under contract for next season at $7M and the following season at $6.4M. Considering his age, historic levels of production, and 17-game stint as a Clipper, that seems quite reasonable. The Clippers also seem like they could use his services, as Yanic will be out at least the start of next season with his Lisfranc injury and Brook Lopez will hopefully be put out to pasture as a rotation player. Thus, even though I don’t think Jackson is a key part of the Clippers’ future, it very much makes sense that he’d be on the roster next year, probably in a backup role. His ability to provide competent rotation center play will be needed regardless of who the Clippers are starting, especially until Yanic is ready to go in a larger-sized role.

2026 Clippers Exit Interview: Isaiah Jackson
Robert Flom

Our exit interview for the 2026 Clippers continues with another disappointing veteran guard, Bogdan Bogdanovic.

Basic Information

Height: 6’5

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Shooting Guard

Age: 33

Years in NBA: 9

Key Regular Season Stats: 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.4 steals, and 1.2 turnovers in 19.7 minutes per game across 23 games played (3 starts) on 38.8/34.7/80 (4.1 3PA, 1.1 FTA) shooting splits (52.5 True Shooting)

Expectations

After the Clippers’ initial offseason, it was expected that Bogi would settle into the bench scoring, sixth man role that he was brought in for at the 2025 trade deadline, and performed capably in down the stretch for the Clippers last season. However, Bogi injured his hamstring in August at Eurobasket, and that injury kept him sidelined as the Clippers started training camp. That lack of health combined with Chris Paul’s play led to Bogi as seemingly the 11^th man in the Clippers’ rotation heading into the season.

Still, considering the Clippers’ collective age and injury history combined with Bogi’s track record of solid bench play, it was reasonable to think Bogi would play a good deal for the Clippers this season as a sharpshooter, tertiary creator, and extra ballhandler off the bench to spell James Harden and Bradley Beal.

Reality

Like with so many other Clippers, things did not go as planned. Bogi did not play the first two games of the season, as he was rounding into shape and the Clippers had guys ahead of him. He got his first minutes in the 3^rd game of the season, but then logged minimal minutes in the next game before sitting out the following two. So things went for the first couple weeks, until November 12, when injuries to Beal and Kawhi brought Bogi back into the thick of things. Over the next five games, Bogi played heavy minutes, including a season best performance on November 14, when he scored 21 points on 8-14 shooting to help beat the Mavs in double overtime.

Then, unfortunately, Bogi got injured, this time damaging his hip. He’d sit out a handful of games with that injury before returning on December 5, after which he played in another six games before getting injured in the seventh, against Portland, on December 26.

And with that, Bogi’s role as an active member of the Clippers more or less ended. He missed a bunch of time, first with the hip injury and then with another hamstring injury, and by the time he got healthy in early February the Clippers were moving forward with Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller as their perimeter bench scorers. Bogi wasn’t moved at the deadline, but the addition of Bennedict Mathurin only pushed him further down the rotation. In fact, after that Portland game, Bogi appeared in only 16 games the rest of the season, and he only played in more than 12 minutes in three of them. He remained engaged as a cheerleader on the bench and presumably as a veteran presence in the locker room, but any on-court value for the Clippers had vanished.

There are many reasons why the Clippers’ season did not pan out. Some of them are nebulous (the Aspiration story probably had an impact at the start of the season), some are disputed (how much did Chris Paul damage the locker room?), and some could not be helped (all of the injuries). However, perhaps the biggest issue was the play of the three veteran guards the Clippers added to bolster their playmaking, ballhandling, and creation: Beal, Chris Paul, and Bogi. The three of them combined logged less than 50 games played, and incredibly enough, Bogi (who played less than 500 minutes) had the most positive impact of the trio.

Future with Clippers

The Clippers have a team option for Bogdanovic for the 2027 season that is worth $16.02M. Considering Bogi’s 2026 season, it’s safe to assume the Clippers will be declining that salary – unless they get a deal worked out early in free agency to trade him somewhere and need his salary as a ballast. Either way, it would be stunning if Bogi played a minute for the Clippers next season. Honestly, I think it’s quite possible Bogi goes back to Europe to finish his career. He seems like a competitive guy who wants to play, and even if he could stick around the NBA, it would probably be on a minimum deal getting depth rotation minutes. It’s really too bad Bogi didn’t work out the Clippers; he fit in well with the team, and he had some real flashes, but ultimately the injuries and age were too much. C’est la vie.

Clippers 2026 Exit Interview: Bogdan Bogdanovic
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with the team’s former franchise center, Ivica Zubac.

Basic Information

Height: 7’0

Weight: 245 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 29

Years in NBA: 10

Key Regular Season Stats: 14.4 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.4 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 30.9 minutes per game across 43 games played (42 starts) on 61.3/70.5 (3.1 FTA) shooting splits (63.5 True Shooting)

Expectations

Ivica Zubac had maybe the most straightforward expectations of any player on the Clippers. Coming off an exceptional 2025 campaign that saw him earn 2^nd Team All Defense honors and garner All-NBA Third Team votes, Zu was locked into the starting center position and was expected to anchor the Clippers on both ends of the court. Statistically, even accounting for a slight drop-off from a career year, people thought Zu would be a double-double machine while scoring in the mid-teens on good efficiency and providing stout interior defense. I don’t think many people believed Zu would quite repeat the caliber of season that he had in 2025, but producing a reasonable facsimile seemed reasonable.

Reality

Like just about every single member of the team, Zu disappointed to start the 2026 season. His counting stats were good (15.2 and 8.6 in October, 16.7 and 12.5 in November on solid efficiency) but his defense slipped in a major way. Zu just did not seem as locked in on that end of the court, to disastrous consequences. The Clippers’ defense was awful for the first couple months of the season, and that 180 degree shift from their excellent defense in the 2025 season was the most critical factor in the 6-21 start that sunk the entire season. Even still, trade rumors began to swirl around Zu as the most attractive trade chip on the sinking Clippers ship.

Then, right when things were at their bleakest, Zu got injured. He was ruled out of the Lakers game on December 20 (which the Clippers ended up winning), and then missed the next five games. Fascinatingly, the Clippers won all five, earning six consecutive victories to get themselves up off the mat. Much was made during this win streak about Brook Lopez’s shooting and how much it opened the court for the Clippers’ offense, but as we saw throughout the season, there wasn’t a ton of credence to that line of thinking. If anything, Brook’s rim protection was what stood out compared to Zu’s, even though the rest of Brook’s game was mostly pretty wanting.

The Clippers were in fact on such a roll without Zu that he came off the bench in his first game back, his first time not starting for the team in years. However, the Clippers lost that one, and Zu resumed starting the next game. The Clippers continued winning, pulling off their famous 15-3 stretch that got them all the way back into the postseason picture in the Western Conference. Zu, of course, was a big part of that run as the team’s starting center and a regular double-double threat.

However, suddenly, James Harden was traded for an injured Darius Garland. The move came out of the blue, and removed Zu’s pick and roll partner from the team. With the Clippers clearly moving towards the future and stepping away from a hard pursuit of success in the 2026 season, all sorts of trade doors opened up. Then, again rather suddenly, came the news that Zubac was being traded to the Indiana Pacers for Bennedict Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, two first-round picks, and a second-round pick. The Clippers went from a surging threat in the West to a tear-down in the blink of an eye, and the longest-tenured player on the team was gone, just like that.

Again, like almost every other Clipper, Zu had a disappointing 2026 season. His stats dipped across the board – minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks all decreased from 2025, his efficiency was worse, and his advanced metrics were much worse. Moreover, while Zu’s defense did improve as the season went along, it was still nowhere close to where it was in 2025, when he was an easy All-Defense Team placement. It’s too bad Zu’s awesome Clippers’ career ended on a bit of a down note – he really did contribute so much to this franchise, and watching him evolve over the years was a true pleasure.

Future with Clippers

As evidenced by how much they traded for him, the Pacers see Zubac as a key part of their franchise’s future. With Tyrese Haliburton returning to action next year, the Pacers will likely be a contender in the Eastern Conference. Thus, at least for next year, Zu seems like a lock to be a Pacer. Considering his contract and the fit of his timeline with Haliburton, there’s quite a strong possibility he’s in Indiana for longer than that – though in today’s NBA, player movement is more frequent than ever.

Add all that up, and it’s tough to see Zu being back on the Clippers any time soon. It’s not that he wouldn’t want to come back at all going forward, or that the Clippers would not want to bring him back – I think the relationship is still quite good on all accounts. I wouldn’t be shocked if Zu returned to the Clippers at some point later in his career, but it’s certainly not a guarantee, and I’d be surprised if it happened in the next few years. Hopefully Zu thrives in Indiana with Haliburton and gets one last big contract out of it.

2026 Clippers Exit Interview: Ivica Zubac
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers continues with yet another disaster of a season, that of legendary Clipper Chris Paul.

Basic Information

Height: 6’0

Weight: 180 pounds

Position: Point Guard

Age: 40 (turns 41 in two weeks)

Years in NBA: 21

Key Regular Season Stats: 2.9 points, 3.3 assists, 1.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, and 1.0 turnovers in 14.3 minutes per game across 16 games played (zero starts) on 32.1/33.3/50 (1.9 3PA and 0.1 FTA) shooting splits (41.3 True Shooting)

Expectations

The varying expectations for Chris Paul were, in this writer’s opinion, the main reason why things went as badly as they did (spoiler!). When Paul was initially signed last summer, it sure seemed as though he was being brought in as a veteran presence, locker room leader, and depth piece that would not be a major part of the team’s on-court plans. After all, the Clippers had the workhorse James Harden as the starting point guard, and Paul and Harden were both past the point of being able to play together much. Add in the presence of newly signed Bradley Beal (combo guard that needs the ball), Kris Dunn (combo guard with limited offensive juice), and Bogdon Bogdanovic and the guard room was quite crowded with seemingly little room for an old, undersized, and ball-dominant ballhandler.


However, things gradually began to shift as the season approached. There were rumors and reports that Paul looked good and that he’d immediately won the trust of the coaching staff. There was the news that Beal was not healthy entering training staff, throwing a wrench in the team’s planned rotations. And there was the fact that Paul had mostly been effective the year prior for the Spurs in a starting role, starting all 82 games for a team that went 34-48 despite Wemby missing the back half of the season. Thus, as the regular season approached, expectations had transitioned to Paul being a rotation player, probably the team’s backup point guard, with the hope that he’d provide stability during the Harden-less minutes and enable the team to give Harden more rest.

Reality

Expectations only got heightened in the preseason, as the Clippers looked sharp and CP3 played a big role in the team’s success. Paul played in three of the Clippers four preseason games, logged 18.9 minutes per game (4^th on the team behind Kawhi, Harden, and Zubac), and averaged 8.3 points, 3 rebounds, and 5.3 assists while shooting the ball well and barely turning the ball over. It appeared as though the Clippers were every bit the playoff contender that pundits had expected them to be after their highly-praised offseason, and that CP3 had gas in the tank.

As we all remember, those expectations took an immediate hit as the Clippers were embarrassed in their first game by the young and athletic Utah Jazz in a blowout loss. As for Paul, all of the zip and shooting touch that had been present in preseason seemed to have vanished, as he looked every bit of his 40 years on both ends of the court. The Clippers started the season 3-5, and while Paul played in all of them, his playing time decreased over that stretch. The Point God went scoreless in three of those eight games, and maxed out at six points. It was grim.

Paul was thus phased out of the rotation, logging DNP-CDs during the next five contests. He returned to the rotation in mid-November with the Clippers struggling at 4-9. Things did not improved. Paul’s highest scoring game was 8 points (his last game with the team), and his best performance was a 3-point, 8-assist effort in the Clippers’ lone win in that stretch over the Hornets. Paul was a negative on defense due to his height and slow feet, and was not able to create any advantages on offense. The Clippers had many, many issues during their 5-16 start, but Paul’s inability to do much of anything on either end was certainly one of them.

Then, out of nowhere, on December 3 it was reported that the Clippers were sending Paul home. Almost immediately, stories started coming out giving the angles on both sides. From the Clippers’ perspective, Paul had clashed with the coaching staff on a number of occasions, going so far as to “override” their coverages. There were also reports about some difficulties with other players, though these were less substantiated. The reports coming from Pauls’ perspective indicated a complete lack of accountability and culture in the Clippers’ organization, including the infamous story of almost nobody from the team showing up to his Halloween party. Paul never played for the team again, was traded to the Raptors at the deadline, and subsequently officially retired from the NBA.

While most people took sides, and lots of jokes from non-Clippers fans were made at the expense of both parties, it seemed fairly clear that there was fault all around. Chris Paul, as always, was probably overly abrasive and too much of a perfectionist. The Clippers’ coaching staff seems to have had poor communication and not been flexible enough in handling him. The Clippers’ front office should have squashed any issues sooner, and appeared to be impotent in handling a massive rift. And, finally, the Clippers’ lack of culture and accountability as a staff and record crew has been a running issue since the 213 era began nearly seven years ago. It was an ugly, ugly divorce all around, and I’d guess we haven’t even heard the last of all the details that will eventually come out.

From an on-court perspective, there’s just no denying that Paul’s stint with the team this season was a massive failure. He was ineffectual on both ends and didn’t bring any of what the team was looking for in terms of steady playmaking, outside shooting, and a calming presence. The Beal situation was a bigger blow to the team construction, but Chris not providing anything was probably the third or fourth biggest factor in the team’s horrendous 6-21 start.

Future with Clippers

This is where things really get unfortunate. Before this disastrous final stint with the Clippers, it seemed a given that Paul would retire as a Clipper (hopefully happily), go into the Basketball Hall of Fame in a Clippers jersey, and be remembered mostly fondly by fans despite the playoff failures of the Lob City era. That happy future is much less certain now. There have been no rumors about any reconciliation between CP and the Clippers; in fact, Paul posted gleefully about the Clippers’ losing in the play-in just a few weeks ago.

There is still plenty of time for amends to be made between Paul and the Clippers’ franchise. However, that might have to wait until the current front office and coaching staff have moved on, and that doesn’t seem to be happening anytime soon. Maybe Paul still goes in the Hall wearing a Clippers jersey, but there’s a chance he doesn’t. Quite frankly, the franchise’s greatest player getting one of basketball’s highest honors in another team’s jersey would be tough. I hope we see efforts made by both sides to move past this rocky finish, because this fiasco looks bad for all involved.

2026 Clippers Exit Interview: Chris Paul
Robert Flom

Our exit interview series on the 2026 Clippers begins with Bradley Beal, perhaps the most disappointing individual player season on what was a very disappointing team.

Basic Information

Height: 6’4

Weight: 207 pounds

Position: Shooting Guard

Age: 32

Years in NBA: 14

Key Regular Season Stats (for Clippers): 8.2 points, 1.7 assists, 0.8 rebounds, 0.5 steals, and 1.5 turnovers in 20.2 minutes per game across 6 games played (all starts) on 37.5/36.8/75 (3.2 3PA and 1.3 FTA) shooting splits (47.6 True Shooting)

Expectations

By and large, the expectations for Beal after he came to the Clippers on a buyout deal at the taxpayer midlevel exception last summer were that he would be the starting shooting guard next to James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, and Ivica Zubac. There was some discussion that Beal would come off the bench, and the Clippers would keep a defense-first player in that spot (Kris Dunn or Derrick Jones Jr.), but most people suspected that part of the deal of Beal signing with the team was getting the starting spot. While it had been years since Beal made an All-Star team, he had been pretty good for the Suns in the 2024 season before a disappointing 2025 campaign, so the idea that at age 32 Beal could turn in a pretty comparable season seemed reasonable. I’d say statistically, expectations were for Beal to score in the mid to high teens, contribute as a playmaker and rebounder, and step up on defense while serving as the Clippers’ best off-ball shooter.

Reality

Things got off to an ominous start when it came out before training camp that Beal would be limited due to some offseason knee troubles. Beal gradually got acclimated as training camp got along, and was ready for the start of the season, but had to play on a minutes restriction that made his rotations (and that of the entire team) odd. Beal played in the Clippers’ first two regular season games, but only got just over 20 minutes in each game, and barely did anything in either.

Beal then missed the next two games due to a back injury (not a good sign, back injuries are tricky) before returning for the following two games, in which he also played just over 20 minutes, but did slightly more in them. Incredibly, the second of those contests, a November 3 loss to the Heat, ended up being Beal’s best performance of the season, as he scored 12 points on 5-8 shooting and chipped in 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal (though he did have 3 turnovers). Beal then sat out the second night of a back-to-back before playing twice against his old team, the Phoenix Suns. Beal took a fall in the game on November 8 and came up grimacing a bit, but it didn’t seem like much.

Well, a couple days later, Beal was ruled out for the rest of the season with a hip fracture. He played in just six games for the team, was not a true positive in any of the games he played, and threw the team’s entire plans off balance between the minutes restriction, nagging injuries, and finally the season-ending blow. You can’t blame Beal for his injuries, but he utterly failed in his projected role as the Norm Powell replacement, and his disastrous signing was one of the main factors in the Clippers starting off the season so poorly. If they just hadn’t signed him and instead started Kris Dunn from the get-go without having to plan for incorporating Beal only to have him be ineffective and then lose him entirely, this season might have gone differently. Alas.

Future with Clippers

Beal has a player option for $5,621,700 for next year, and it’s going to be interesting to see whether he will pick it up. On one hand, after his disastrous season, it seems unlikely that Beal will get more money than that on the open market (I’d guess he’d get a minimum). NBA players, even ones that have made as much as Beal, generally care about their salary, especially keeping themselves above the minimum (players feel like once you’re on a minimum, it’s hard to get off them). On the other hand, the Clippers are almost certainly not going to be the contender that Beal thought they were when he signed up last summer, and at this stage of Beal’s career he might want to join a team with a shot to win a title. Ultimately, I’d guess Beal is on the team next year, at which point the question is whether he will be part of the team’s plans or whether he will mostly just serve as a tradable salary. Hopefully Beal can play, plays well, and is able to rehab his value while helping the Clippers win some games.

2026 Exit Interview: Bradley Beal
Robert Flom

It’s been a few days since the Clippers lost in the first round of the play-in, and at least some of the dust has settled on what was ultimately a very disappointing season for the team. Here are a few thoughts on things to look out for in the coming weeks and other assorted items as we start pivoting towards the offseason.

It’s Ok the Clippers Missed Out on the Playoffs

The Clippers blowing the play-in game to an old and not very good Warriors team in the 4^th quarter was definitely a bit humiliating and not the way anyone wanted the season to end, but at the end of the day, it’s fine that the Clippers didn’t move on. Even if they had beaten the Suns in the second play-in game to get to the playoffs proper, a beatdown at the hands of the Thunder would not have been a much better note to end the season on. The Clippers were just a very middling team to close the season, and even after one day of watching the playoffs, they would not have belonged on that stage, much less opposing the Thunder. I would have liked to have gotten the Clippers’ young players some playoff reps, but this team was not going anywhere anyway.

Circle May 10

The next huge date on the Clippers’ calendar is Sunday, May 10, which is when the NBA will hold the draft lottery for the 2026 draft. As I’m sure everyone reading this knows, the Clippers will get the Pacers’ first round pick if it does not fall in the top 4. The Pacers pick has a 27.8% chance of landing at 5 and 20.1% chance of landing at 6. Overall, that gives the Clippers a 47.9% chance of getting the pick, an outcome that would completely change the trajectory of the franchise and would determine the course of the rest of their summer.

If the Clippers get the pick, do they take a player with it? Do they trade down out of the 5-6 pick range (filled with point guards) to somewhere a bit later to take a player that fits cleaner with Darius Garland and maybe pick up another asset? Do they trade out of the draft entirely for a veteran player that is more on Garland’s timeline? I would hope they actually take a player somewhere in the lottery, as this is a stacked draft and the Clippers haven’t had a lottery pick since 2018. While the Clippers not getting this pick wouldn’t be the end of the world, as it would transform into the Pacers’ 2031 1^st rounder, it would be very, very nice to get this asset in the door to jumpstart the franchise’s transformation.

Playoff Rooting Interests

It’s hard rooting for any team in the Western Conference. I don’t like the Spurs, Nuggets, Rockets, Lakers, Wolves, Blazers, or Suns for various reasons, and the Thunder winning again would look even worse for the Clippers. Ultimately, I still have fondness for Shai and I like most of the rest of the Thunder roster outside of Lu Dort, so I’ll probably be rooting for the Thunder in the West. After them, I’d like the Wolves to beat the Nuggets in the first round, though that’s looking a bit unlikely after a tough Game 1 loss.

In the East, rooting interests for me are a bit clearer. I don’t think the Cavs will win it all, but I’m sure rooting for James Harden to prove his haters wrong and make a deep playoff run. After the Cavs, I live in Michigan and really enjoy this Pistons team, so they’d be my second choice. I don’t love the Knicks in general, but Karl-Anthony Towns is inexplicably hated and seems like a great guy, so I root for him in particular. And then, I must say, I still have fondness for the Sixers after my time in Philly, so I will be rooting for them to pull off an upset against the Celtics. Those would be my teams in the East, in that order, with disdain for the Celtics and Raptors and thoroughly indifferent thoughts for the Magic and Hawks.

Blog Stuff

We will start moving into the usual end-of-season Exit Interviews, where we go over the seasons of all Clippers’ players who had real roles on this team (i.e. nothing for TyTy Washington). I will probably start with players who are no longer on the team before diving into the stalwarts.

I will not start doing draft prospect previews until the Clippers’ draft pick situation is decided after the lottery: I do not want to jinx the Clippers by doing in-depth draft work only for them to not get the pick this year. If the Clippers do get the Pacers’ pick, content will shift heavily towards the draft, as the 5^th or 6^th pick will be the most important Clippers’ draft selection since at least 2018 with SGA and Jerome Robinson and possibly since Blake Griffin in 2009. It’s a big, big deal.

Aspiration Fallout

The season has come and gone, and we still do not how if the Clippers are getting punished for the Aspiration scandal that was broken by Pablo Torre back in the fall. One would hope that a determination would be made sometime soon, as if the Clippers are punished in some material way (loss of draft picks, Kawhi contract changes, major fines/hits to cap space, etc.) they will need to plan their offseason accordingly. There have been at varying times rumors that the Clippers will get hammered and that they will be fine, but nothing even close to definitive will probably be known until the NBA reveals the actual conclusion of the investigation. Once we know more, we will talk about it, but until then there is no point in speculating.

Clippers Enter the 2026 Offseason
Robert Flom

The Clippers face the Warriors at home in a win-or-go home game that will determine whether they get a chance at a playoff spot or start their offseason a little earlier than normal.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: Amazon Prime Video, AM 1150

Projected Starting Lineups

Warriors: Steph Curry – Brandin Podziemski – Gui Santos – Draymond Green – Kristaps Porzingis

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Warriors: Draymond Green Probable (Back), Quinten Post Questionable (Foot), Jimmy Butler Out (Knee), Moses Moody Out (Knee)

Clippers: Isaiah Jackson Questionable (Ankle), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers got to their 15^th winning season in a row in the 82^nd game of the season, but were not able to get out of the 9-10 play-in bracket. This will be the Clippers’ second time in the play-in, and the first time in the 9^th spot (they were in the 7^th spot in 2022, infamously losing both play-in games to fall out of the playoffs entirely). The Clippers are coming in mostly healthy, with Isaiah Jackson as the lone player on the injury report not ruled out with a season-ending injury. They have homecourt advantage, and will be against a team that is decidedly less talented than they are. But we have seen the Clippers lose to bad teams all year (outside of that one stretch in January), and the Warriors will be every bit as desperate as the Clippers. They need to come ready to fight.

The Antagonist

The Warriors have been in the play-in a few times before, and are certainly no stranger to elimination games. However, this is not the Warriors of yore. Steph has been incredible this season, but only returned recently from a long absence and is probably not 100% yet. Draymond Green has shown his age this season, finally slipping from being one of the NBA’s top defenders as he enters his mid-30s. Klay Thompson and Andre Iguodala are long gone. Still, the Warriors have a stable of competent veterans and youngsters, and they can beat almost any team on the nights Curry gets hot. The Clippers just have to make sure that doesn’t happen. Easier said than done.

Notes

Who Guards Steph: The Clippers have mostly utilized Kris Dunn to guard Steph Curry since Dunn has been a Clipper, and Dunn has done as well as could be expected in that difficult assignment. However, the Clippers put Derrick Jones Jr. on Steph in the game on Sunday. Was it just to see a different look? Do they like Dunn as a roamer more since the Warriors don’t have another great scoring option? Was it just to throw the Warriors off Dunn being the primary defender on Steph again? It could be one or none of those reasons, but I thought DJ getting the Steph assignment was interesting, and I’m curious to see who takes on Steph in this one.

Bench Scoring: The Clippers won the game against the Warriors on Sunday largely due to their bench, which severely overpowered the Warriors’ reserves. Bennedict Mathurin, Jordan Miller, and even Bogdan Bogdanovic (probably won’t play tonight but still) all went off, and the Warriors just did not have many answers on defense. The Warriors play smart, connected basketball, but Mathurin and Miller should be able to get into the paint consistently against Golden State, and as long as they play calm and make the right plays, easy looks should result on offense.

Feed Kawhi: It’s a logical strategy to feed your best player in a do-or-die game, but the Clippers going to Kawhi early and often is even more obvious in this one. Without Jimmy Butler, the Warriors have no wing with the size, quickness, and strength to guard Kawhi one-on-one, or probably even bother him much. If Kawhi starts cooking, the Warriors will have to throw multiple defenders at him, and that should give the Clippers a bunch of open threes. As long as they make a good percentage of those, their offense will probably be quite potent.

Clippers vs Warriors: Play In Preview
Robert Flom

The Clippers will close their rollercoaster 2026 season against the rival Golden State Warriors in a contest that is probably meaningless but that they need to try to win just in case the Blazers drop their game at the same time.

Game Information

Where: Intuit Dome, Inglewood, California

When: 5:30 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, KTLA, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Warriors: Steph Curry – Brandin Podziemski – Gui Santos – Draymond Green – Kristaps Porzingis

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Brook Lopez

Injuries

Warriors: Steph Curry Probable (Ankle), Seth Curry Questionable (Adductor), Quinten Post Doubtful (Foot), Jimmy Butler Out (Knee), Moses Moody Out (Knee)

Clippers: Isaiah Jackson Out (Ankle), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

The Big Picture

The Clippers, perhaps fittingly, were thoroughly outplayed by the Blazers on Friday night in the most important game of the season for either team. The Blazers were quicker, bigger, more energetic, and more forceful despite being a younger and more inexperienced team than the veteran-laden Clippers. The Clippers’ center issues were also apparent; they got a monster game from Brook Lopez, but were blitzed in the bench minutes with John Collins and Nic Batum at center. The Clippers didn’t really have much of a chance of any kind of postseason run even with Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Isaiah Jackson healthy, but without them, the only center on the roster being the limited Lopez makes it tough for this team to get anything going inside. Ultimately, this season can be broken down into three segments: the horrendous 6-21 start, the incredible 20-7 turnaround midseason, and the mediocre 15-12 close. And now, at the end, they are who they are – a middling .500 team.

The Antagonist

The Warriors have had a season every bit as disastrous as the Clippers. The Warriors were also expected to be a highly competitive playoff team after making the second round last year and reloading much of their same roster, but the season-ending injury to Jimmy Butler and an extended second-half absence from Steph Curry doomed them to a below-.500 season and a 10^th seed. Like the Clippers, the Warriors have some nice young players (Podziemski, Santos, Moses Moody, Quinten Post, Will Richard) but no obvious blue-chip prospects, and are heavily invested in an aging and injury-prone core. The big difference is the Warriors have all of their own picks, and it certainly seems like they will go after big fish this offseason. But, for right now, they are just a meh 10^th seed that has no hopes of a playoff run even if they do make it through the play-in tournament.

Notes

Winning Record Streak on the Line: The Clippers have had a winning record for 14 seasons in a row, by far the longest ongoing streak in the NBA. Their last season below .500 was all the way back in 2010-2011, Blake Griffin’s rookie season, when they went 32-50. The Clippers have had two seasons since where they’ve barely sneaked out winning records at 42-40 (in 2017-18 and 2021-22), and it would be a point of pride for them to get to that mark this year with a win. Even if nothing else is on the line, that franchise record is a really cool mark that I want the team to keep going.

Go Kings Go: The only way this game matters in the actual standings is if the Kings beat the Blazers, as in that case the Clippers would tie the Blazers at 42-40 and move to 8^th through tiebreakers. The Blazers will be playing at home and the Kings have nothing to play for, but they’ve been surprisingly frisky in recent weeks, so the chances of them winning aren’t quite zero. The Clippers have to hope the Kings are feisty again tomorrow and don’t lean as far into the tank as some other teams have done recently (the Grizzlies played 5.5 players in their loss on Friday).

Clippers vs Warriors Preview: Last Game of the Season
Robert Flom

Ten days after the Clippers lost the most important game of their season to that point, they play the same opponent again, the Portland Trailblazers, in what is by far their most meaningful regular season game of the year.

Game Information

Where: Moda Center, Portland, Oregon

When: 7:00 PM PT

How to Watch: FanDuel Sports SoCal, AM 570

Projected Starting Lineups

Clippers: Darius Garland – Kris Dunn – Derrick Jones Jr. – Kawhi Leonard – Brook Lopez

Blazers: Scoot Henderson – Jrue Holiday – Toumani Camara – Deni Avdija – Donovan Clingan

Injuries

Clippers: Isaiah Jackson Out (Ankle), Yanic Konan Niederhauser Out (Foot), Bradley Beal Out (Hip)

Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe Questionable (Fibula), Jerami Grant Doubtful (Calf), Vit Krejci Doubtful (Calf), Damian Lillard Out (Achilles)

The Big Picture

The Clippers followed up a huge win against the Mavs on Tuesday night with a dud against the (admittedly awesome) Thunder on Wednesday. The Clippers have been mediocre for almost an entire month now, as they’ve gone 7-7 since March 13 (they went 7-1 during the first two weeks of March) with all but one of their wins coming against tanking teams. This is the team I expected to see after the Harden and Zu trades: talented, but with some overlapping pieces and a serious weak spot at the center position. I’d like to see them make the playoffs, as I think it would be great experience for their young guys and would just be a positive outcome for the season, but any hopes of them pulling an upset have faded in the past four weeks.

The Antagonist

The Blazers have gone 9-5 in that same stretch since March 13, but just like the Clippers, nearly all of their wins have come against tanking teams: the Jazz, Nets, Pacers, Nets again, Bucks, Wizards, and Pelicans. Thus, it’s hard to say they’re playing that much better of late than the Clippers, though they did of course stomp the Clips last week in Inglewood. Jrue Holiday and Deni Avdija led the charge for the Blazers in that one, as they have basically all year, and the Clippers will need to do better jobs defending those guys if they’re going to pull off this win. In the middle Donovan Clingan has a big advantage against Brook Lopez, but unfortunately there’s not much the Clips can do about that right now.

Notes

Standings Watch Over: The Clippers are locked into the 8 or 9 seeds, as the Warriors are now locked into the 10 seed and the Suns are stuck at 7. If the Clippers win this game tonight, they will be the 8 seed. If they lose, they will have to win their last game of the season (against a Warriors team that will probably be resting guys) and the Blazers will have to lose their last game (against a Kings team with nothing to play for) to be 8. Thus, tonight’s game will more or less decide the 8 seed, which is a huge deal, as it means the Clippers could play the Spurs if they win the 7-8 matchup, and then have a second game to make the playoffs even if they lose. The 9 seed would be bad, as it’s one loss away from the offseason and even a win doesn’t guarantee the playoffs.

Rotation Check: This game is essentially a play-in game in its own right, and I’m very curious to see how Ty Lue handles rotations. Does he play nine guys in the rotation, like he did against the Mavs on Tuesday? Does Kobe Sanders get cut or significantly reduced in the rotation to give more minutes to the Clippers’ veterans? Do we see Kawhi crack the 40 minute mark? How much does Brook Lopez play? These are all questions I’m thinking about for tonight, which is a must win.

Clippers vs Blazers Preview: Biggest Game of the Season, Again
Robert Flom