With Summer League over, the dog days of the NBA calendar are here, with nothing really on the calendar for months and the only big item left unchecked being LeBron James’ free agency, which will not impact the Clippers. Therefore, I was mildly surprised when some Clippers news came out of the blue today with the report that they have signed Jamarion Sharp to a two-way deal.

You will be forgiven for not knowing who Sharp is even if you’re a massive NBA fan. Sharp went undrafted out of Ole Miss in 2024, and has spent most of the last two years in the G-League with a brief stint in Puerto Rico. Speaking of massive, Sharp is huge even by NBA standards, standing at 7’5 and weighing 240 pounds. He will be the second tallest player in the NBA behind only Victor Wembanyama, a truly impressive physical specimen.

But what does Sharp bring as a basketball player? Well, because of his size, he’s a dominant rim protector. He won the G-League Defensive Player of the Year in 2026 for the Texas Legends, and averaged a truly insane 3.8 blocks in just 24.9 minutes per game. Even without terrific instincts or athleticism, the sheer size and wingspan make Sharp a real deterrent around the rim.

Unfortunately, that’s more or less all Sharp offers. He has not been a great rebounder in college or the G-League, never averaging more than 7.7 boards per game (last season at Western Kentucky in 2023). Sharp is also not a scorer, averaging just 7 points per game in the G-League and topping at 8.2 in college. Scoring that little despite his immense presence shows how little offensive acumen Sharp has.

Put simply, this is no more than an emergency depth big that the Clippers feel like they can throw out for a handful of minutes if Brook Lopez or Isaiah Jackson gets hurt or is struggling. With Yanic Konan Niederhauser injured, and John Collins, Kawhi Leonard, and Nic Batum gone, the Clippers are thin at center and have no feasible small-ball big men. Therefore, adding a big man on a two-way deal makes sense, even if Sharp (already 25) offers little upside or real playability due to his limitations.

The Clippers’ roster is now quite close to full (pending the Kawhi Leonard trade) as they have 14 full roster spots and all three two-way spots filled. There is plenty of wiggle room, as two-way spots can be vacated with no cap hits, and Cam Christie’s full deal is also non-guaranteed until the end of training camp in October. Still, unless the Kawhi trade is pushed through soon (seems unlikely) or a Peyton Watson sign-and-trade happens (also unlikely), it feels like the Clippers will probably not be acquiring any new players anytime soon. However, Bennedict Mathurin is still an outstanding piece of business, and I’m guessing at some point or other movement happens there.

For now, you all can probably tune out of the NBA for a bit and turn your attention to something else! We will still be podding on TLTJTJ, and I’ll be putting up articles on here weekly on random topics, but the offseason is now here in earnest.

Clippers Sign Jamarion Sharp to Two-Way Deal
Robert Flom

First off, as always with Summer League, a huge grain of salt with everything. I value Summer League less and less every year – while it’s fun, and it’s good to see NBA rookies log their first minutes in team uniforms, it’s almost useless as an evaluation tool due to the slapdash nature of the rosters and the lack of team cohesion. That said, here are some thoughts.

Keaton Wagler

After a dismal first game in Summer League, Wagler was mostly pretty good the next three (he sat one game for rest on a back-to-back). Wagler ended up leading the Clippers in scoring at 18 points per game, though he did so fairly inefficiently (38.6% from the field, 33.3% from three). It’s such a small sample size that shots dropping or not does not matter to me much. In general, Wagler was bothered by pressure, had a tough time finishing around the rim, and had to work a lot to get clean looks. None of that was a surprise, however – it was always expected that he’d need to get stronger to really be an on-ball threat in the NBA. The good news is that his soft touch was apparent, as was his willingness to play off-ball. I also thought he had some good moments on defense. All in all, not an amazing showing that some fans may have dreamed of, but far from a disaster.

Nick Martinelli

In terms of raw production, Martinelli was the Clippers’ best rookie in Vegas. He averaged 14.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game while shooting 60.4% from three and 50% from three (3-6). Martinelli’s overall basketball skill and knowhow was evident. He got to his spots, rarely forced the issue, and looked comfortable both in a catch-and-shoot setting as well as in a secondary role taking opponents off the dribble. Martinelli is definitely at an athletic disadvantage at the NBA level, but is just a flat out good basketball player that really impressed me with his rebounding and touch in the painted area on little floaters. The defense might be rough, yet there is a world where I could see Martinelli contributing to the Clippers in a 9^th or 10^th man role as soon as this year.

Baba Miller

Baba’s stats don’t pop (12 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2 assists, 1.4 blocks) but he had the best highlights and flashes of anyone on the Clippers in Vegas. His natural athleticism is noteworthy, allowing him several monster dunks and blocks. Baba also showed some playmaking acumen, making a number of nice reads both at the top of the key and off-the-dribble to get teammates easy looks. He’s still very raw, and I don’t think he’ll be ready for rotation minutes this year, but you can see why the Clippers signed him to a four-year deal with two seasons guaranteed: there’s a very interesting player in there if the shot develops or the defense evolves to be consistently positive.

Kobe Sanders

I’m still not really sure why Kobe was brought to Vegas. He played four games (sitting the last one) and looked pretty good. Kobe’s game is not flashy and not really translatable to “star” play like we’ve seen from Jordan Miller in previous years, so there was only one outing where he stood out, but he was competent and looked a cut above most of the Summer Leaguers. Nothing too exciting, but also a perfectly fine showing.

Cam Christie

Cam was unfortunately the only Summer League Clipper that had a truly disappointing outing in Vegas. As a third-year player with some real (if limited) NBA reps, fans were hoping Cam would look too good for Summer League. That did not happen. Cam played only the first two games, and seemed determined to drive to the rim rather than shoot (probably on coaching instruction). That would be fine, but the drives never really looked good, especially in the halfcourt, with a lot of missed shots and awful turnovers. Overall, Cam shot just 4/18 from the field in his two games (he missed the last three with ankle soreness) and had two assists to eight turnovers. It was a pretty bad showing from Cam, and one that could truly have him on the roster bubble as we head into the quiet part of the offseason.

Sean Pedulla

Sean Pedulla had an uneven Summer League, mixing in awful games (1 and 3) with terrific ones (2 and 5). Overall, it’s clear he’s a good, skilled point guard that can pass, shoot, and handle. The issue is that he’s absolutely tiny and not athletic enough to consistently break down NBA-level defenses. I didn’t really see anything that makes me think he’s a true NBA player, but the Clippers might keep him around like they did Xavier Moon a few years ago as a guy who can probably step in for 10-12 minutes in the NBA as a competent-enough reserve guard.

Norchad Omier

Omier had a similar Summer League to Pedulla, starting off poorly (Game 3 was a real lowlight) with a strong finish. Also like Pedulla, even though you can kind of see the vision with Omier (he’s strong, plays hard, and is a good screen setter and rebounder), he’s just too undersized to play center in the NBA unless he can shoot threes or become a better defender. When he’s playing well he’s fun to watch, but I don’t see a real role for him at the NBA level.

The Rest

The Clippers brought five other players to Vegas, but none of them played enough to warrant full write-ups. Jahmyl Telfort was definitely the “best of the rest”, looking like a competent “3 and D” guard and plugging into lineups with the Clippers’ rostered players with ease. Fletcher Loyer and Riley Kugel were both nondescriptly “fine” in their minutes without much to note in either direction. Themus Fulks played the least of any of the Clippers’ Summer Leaguers and was ok as a floor general PG. And lastly, Zach Freemantle was absolutely awful as a backup center, with almost no redeeming qualities. Sorry, Zach.

Clippers 2026 Summer League Recap
Robert Flom

The Clippers have alternated awful performances (Games 1 and 3) with a very good one (Game 2), so hopefully tonight they can replicate their Game 2 performance and bounce back from their blowout loss to the Lakers last night.

The Clippers play at 7:30 PM ET on ESPN against the Wizards, though unfortunately Keaton Wagler is out for rest, while Cam Christie is sitting with ankle soreness. For the Wizards, the number one pick in the draft, AJ Dybantsa, has already been shut down for the rest of Summer League. It’s probably going to be a pretty dismal affair.

Clippers 2026 Summer League, Game 4 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers play their third Summer League game of 2026 tonight, against the hated Lakers.

After a miserable first game in Vegas, the Clippers were mostly quite good in the 2nd game, blowing out the Jazz behind a knockout third quarter punch. Almost everyone who received a lot of minutes played well for the Clippers outside of Cam Christie, with the three standouts being their rookies: Keaton Wagler, Baba Miller, and Nick Martinelli.

Hopefully the Clippers play as well tonight as they did in Game 2, and that their main roster plays continue to show what they can do.

Clippers 2026 Summer League, Game 3 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers play their second Summer League game tonight at 7:00 PM PT on Amazon Prime against the Utah Jazz and number 2 overall pick Darryn Peterson.

The Clippers lost their first game of Summer League in a contest that was so hideous it was not worth writing about. Quite honestly, I take Summer League less and less seriously every year, so I probably won’t have notes or a recap for any of these games, though I will give my overall thoughts at the end of Summer League.

Comment on the game below!

Clippers 2026 Summer League, Game 2 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers kick off their first Summer League game of 2026 tonight against the Sacramento Kings at 8 PM ET on ESPN.

This should be a fun one, as we can watch the Clippers’ prized rookie, Keaton Wagler, square off against the Kings’ dynamic rookie, Darius Acuff, who the Clippers were thinking about taking with the 5th pick. There are other interesting players in this one, of course, but those are the two headliners.

I must also say that I did, of course, see the news today about the Clippers’ trade of Kawhi Leonard being paused due to the ongoing Aspiration investigation. I don’t have much to say, outside of the fact that the NBA has royally bungled this whole situation from start to finish. I would still expect the trade to go through in a relatively similar form in the coming weeks – hopefully the investigation wraps soon-ish so all parties involved can move on.

Leave your comments below!

Clippers 2026 Summer League, Game 1 Thread
Robert Flom

The Clippers will have their most anticipated Summer League since 2018 due to the presence of prized rookie Keaton Wagler. But what about the rest of the roster? Here’s a quick rundown on everyone the Clippers are bringing to Vegas, ranging from potential franchise cornerstones to guys you will probably never see again.

The Rookies

Keaton Wagler – Wagler is the Clippers’ highest draft pick since Blake Griffin back in 2009 (boy that makes me feel ancient), and has correspondingly high expectations for Summer League. What I will emphasize is process over results. It’s a small sample size, and shots going in or not does not matter much. Nor do “production” stats like rebounding and assists. What I want to see are Wagler’s skills, like ballhandling, vision, and shot creation, regardless of results. Summer League can be rough on young guards, so some ups and downs can be expected. But Wagler will have the ball in his hands early and often, and I hope he makes at least a bit of magic happen in Vegas.

Baba Miller – The 36^th pick in the 2026 Draft, Baba is quite raw despite being an older rookie, as he didn’t pick up playing basketball until high school. Baba’s potential is mostly based on his physical traits, so the main thing I’ll be looking for in Summer League is how much he pops athletically. Summer League is not really high-quality play, but the athleticism is much higher compared to college, so I’m interested to see how much Baba stands out against players who are nearly all going to be professional players in some capacity. If he still looks like an athletic monster that moves faster and more fluidly than other guys his size, that’s most of what I need to see. Anything else is a bonus.

Nick Martinelli – The 55^th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, Martinelli is an older prospect whose offensive game should be relatively pro-ready. There are two things I will be watching for closely in Summer League. The first is Martinelli’s three-point shot. He was an ok shooter from deep in college, but not an especially high volume or percentage marksman, and that will be probably need to change if he’s going to have a real NBA career. Secondly, I will be curious to see how his defense on the perimeter looks. Summer League does not involve complex schemes and players have very few practice reps, so there’s not much to take away, but I am curious how he looks athletically on that end of the court. If the shot or the defense looks decent, I will feel good about Martinelli.

The Roster Guys

Kobe Sanders – I get why Kobe is playing in Summer League. Even though he was a rotation player for the Clippers most of his rookie season, he is still just a second-year guy, and it’s not like he was a Flagg, Kneuppel, or Edgecombe level rookie. That being said, Kobe was good enough his rookie season and I feel sure enough about his NBA skills that I don’t really care how he performs in Summer League. If he flashes better ballhandling, or a quicker three-point shot release, or more playmaking, that would be great, but if he’s just ok in Summer League I won’t take anything away from him.

Cam Christie – You could very easily make the case that the player for whom a strong performance in Summer League is most critical is Christie. Christie is going into his third season in the NBA, but is still the second-youngest player on the Clippers’ roster behind Wagler. Christie played in more games last year than you might remember (55), but most of those appearances were garbage time exclusives. His contract for next season is non-guaranteed, and originally had a guarantee date in late June, but was pushed until after Summer League. If he has a good Summer League, the Clippers might guarantee his deal, and if not, they could cut him without any loss. As a third-year player with at least some actual NBA reps, Christie should look good in Summer League – I’d like to see him look strong in driving to the hoop and aggressive in getting three-point shots up.

Sean Pedulla – The Clippers signed Pedulla to a two-way deal in mid-February after promoting Kobe Sanders and Jordan Miller to full roster spots. Pedulla, a 6’1 point guard, appeared in seven games for the big club the rest of the season, all in garbage time. Pedulla is 23 (turning 24 in October) and was a rookie this past season after playing four college seasons at Virginia Tech and Ole Miss. There’s not much to look at in his NBA appearances, but he was a monster in the G-League, averaging 23.6 points and 6.3 assists on excellent scoring efficiency in 28 games. My guess is he will start next to Wagler to get Wagler prepped for playing big minutes next to Darius Garland, another small point guard. Pedulla is probably not a true NBA rotation player, but if he’s the level of shooter he was in the G-League he could be an interesting depth piece.

Norchad Omier – Omier is a 6’7, 248 pound forward who was signed to a two-way deal late last season and played in six games for the Clippers, all garbage time. A very strong, physical player, Omier averaged 18.3 points, 11.4 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.1 steals, and 0.9 blocks across 39 G-League games while scoring at a highly effective rate. Omier is almost 25, but he was a very good college player his last two years at Miami and Baylor, and was productive enough in the G-League to keep an eye on for the last two-way spot.

Jamhyl Telfort – Telfort is someone the Clippers clearly like: he was on their Summer League roster last year as an Exhibit 10, went to training camp, and actually got the Clippers’ last two-way spot going into last season. He played eight games for the Clippers before being waived mid-season. A 6’7 wing, Telfort is just a solid all-around player that can shoot a bit, handle a bit, and play some defense. His lack of any one standout trait will probably hold him back from the NBA full-time, but the Clippers have shown enough interest that he’s someone to monitor.

The Rest

Fletcher Loyer – Loyer was a four-year player at Purdue who started all 149 games he played in college, an impressive stat for a basketball powerhouse school like Purdue. Loyer is 6’4, 185 pounds, making him pretty small by NBA off-guard standards. His case for a professional career is simple: he shot around 44% from three across his last two seasons in college while taking over 400 combined in those years. There’s not a ton else there, but the shooting is legit, and if he can just hang on defense he could scratch out an NBA career.

Themus Fulks – Fulks is a 24-year-old point guard who last played at UCF, but spent six years in the college circuit. Fulks is a good example of modern NCAA basketball, in that he played at five different schools in his six collegiate seasons: South Carolina St., JUCO, Louisiana, Milwaukee, and UCF. A 6’1, 185 pound guard, not much about Fulks’ stats stand out, outside of that fact that he led his conference in assists per game two times (2023 at Louisiana, 2025 at Milwaukee). I have never seen him play, but nothing about his profile suggests an NBA player. My guess is he’s here as point guard depth and that’s all.

Riley Kugel – Kugel is another four-year college player who also finished his NCAA career at UCF, but is a bit different than Fulks. Riley was actually a top-recruited high school prospect (around 60 in 2022) who was All-SEC Freshman at Florida in 2023 and considered going into the NBA Draft that year. He probably should have, because his college career tapered off from there, with one more season at Florida followed by one-season stints at Mississippi State and UCF. Kugel is just 22 years old and has some pedigree so I’m curious to see how he looks in Summer League, but nothing really stands out about his college stats. Kugel is a 6’5, 207 pound guard that I’d expect to see come off the bench behind Christie.

Zach Freemantle – Zach signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Clippers last fall but was waived before training camp and preseason. He did stick around the San Diego Clippers, however, and started 30 of the 49 games for the team, including 29 of 35 during the “regular season”. He averaged 13.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in addition to 1.3 steals and 0.7 blocks per game. A 6’9, 227 pound forward, Freemantle took a decent number of threes in the G-League (3.4 per game) but hit them at only a 28.4% rate. Already 26 years old, it feels unlikely Freemantle is an NBA guy, but he might be someone the Clippers like having in the G-League.

Clippers 2026 Summer League Preview
Robert Flom

The Clippers covered up their gaping hole at power forward today, with Shams Charania of ESPN reporting that they will sign Rui Hachimura to a two-way deal worth $28M. Law Murray of the Athletic followed up with a note that the second year of the contract is a team option, not a fully guaranteed contract.

Hachimura is a 6’8, 240 pound forward who just completed his 7^th season in the NBA. Rui, who is 28 years old, has split his NBA career to this point between the Wizards and Lakers, largely as a starter (264 of 405 games). Last season for the Lakers, Rui averaged 11.5 points and 3.3 rebounds in 28.3 minutes while shooting 51.4% from the field and 44.3% from three (3.9 attempts). Rui has also been a strong playoff performer, with career averages of 13.6 points and 4.3 rebounds in 31.2 minutes across 41 playoff games on 53.7/51.6 (!!) shooting splits (3.8 threes attempted per game). In short, Rui is a playoff-proven veteran with a track record of providing real minutes to good teams.

All that being said, I’ve never been much of a Rui fan (as a player), even before he became a Laker. Maybe it’s because Rui reminds me a lot of Marcus Morris, a player I notably hated watching for the Clippers. Rui is a very good three-point shooter, but he takes them at low volume, which means he’s much less of a weapon from deep than he should be. Despite being very large and strong even by NBA player standards, Rui loves to take midrange jumpers, and will settle for those rather than bullying his way to the rim. Those things, just like with Marcus, have their place – being able to get up relatively efficient midrangers is a useful skill, especially for bolstering bench units. However, Rui’s lack of creation or playmaking means he’s firmly a role playing scorer on offense, even if he’s a good one.

However, the real questions that Rui raises on this team are on the other end of the floor. Despite his size and strength, Rui has never rated as a good defender; he’s fine enough in one-on-one settings, but struggles in making rotations and does not offer any support as a backline defender. Additionally, Rui’s rebounding, never a particular strength, decreased significantly during his time on the Lakers, moving from a below-average skill to a true weakness. The three starters that are locked in on the Clippers, Darius Garland, Brandon Ingram, and Brook Lopez, are all bad to very bad rebounders and limited or poor defenders. Rui is a great fit with those guys on offense as a floor spacer and release valve, but a unit with all four of them is probably going to be quite bad on defense and the glass even with a plus defender in the last spot.

Qualms with Rui aside, this is a pretty good deal for a guy with Rui’s track record who is in the prime of his career. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Rui will be able to give the Clippers a good dose of competent minutes at the power forward position, a spot that was previously barren on the roster. He has his issues, but the shooting and scoring will help a Clippers’ roster that was in need of both. Rui’s contract is easily movable in trades, and it would not shock me if they traded him at the deadline for assets depending on how the rest of the roster shakes out. If Rui has a good season and is a solid fit, the Clippers can pick up his team option and keep him around for another year at affordable value. It’s a good deal and fit even if I’m not the biggest fan of the player.

Speaking of fit, it feels unlikely that the Clippers are done. They have 13 rostered players, and that’s not counting Baba Miller, who will likely be signed to a full deal. Nick Martinelli was confirmed as a two-way contract, joining Sean Pedulla as two-way guys. That leaves the Clippers with one full roster spot and one two-way, though Pedulla and Cam Christie (non-guaranteed deal) could be cut easily if needed. However, none of that is including Bennedict Mathurin (restricted free agent) or Nic Batum (beloved veteran). Right now, here’s the Clippers updated depth chart:

PG: Darius Garland – Keaton Wagler – Sean Pedulla (two-way)

SG: Kris Dunn – Jordan Miller – Gradey Dick – Cam Christie

SF: Brandon Ingram – Derrick Jones Jr. – Nick Martinelli (two-way)

PF: Rui Hachimura – Kobe Sanders – Baba Miller

C: Brook Lopez – Yanic Konan Niederhauser – Isaiah Jackson

Even with the Rui addition, the PF spot is not in a great space, as Kobe Sanders is undersized there and Baba Miller will probably not be ready for minutes. The same goes for the center rotation, which features a starter in Brook Lopez who is at best an 18-minute per game competent reserve. A trade of same kind to balance the roster makes sense, with the most bandied name right now being the Nuggets’ Peyton Watson in a sign and trade. How that would work and who the Clippers would send out in the deal remain to be seen, but I have my eyes on Derrick Jones Jr., who is a good player in his prime but someone that contenders will probably value more than the rebuilding Clippers.

At this point, I also think Bennedict Mathurin doesn’t make a ton of sense on this roster unless at least one if not two of the guards/wings are moved. The depth chart is by far at it’s most crowded at the SG/SF positions (that’s really where Sanders should be), and while Mathurin is more talented than most of those names, he’s also more inconsistent. Maybe the Clippers move him in a sign and trade elsewhere, or maybe they just let him walk, but his fit on this roster is certainly more in question than it was at the end of the regular season.

For now, Rui Hachimura is a Clipper. I think it’s a good contract and that he’s a fine player who fills a big hole on the roster even if does not fix some of the team’s most glaring weaknesses.

Clippers Sign Rui Hachimura to Two-Year Deal
Robert Flom

Two minutes after I wrote an article going over the Clippers’ offseason thus far and discussing potential future moves, Shams Charania of ESPN reported that the Clippers have come to terms with wing Jordan Miller on a new 3 year, $15.3M contract. Law Murray of the Athletic chimed in a bit later to note that only the first year of the deal will be guaranteed.

Just like the Kobe Sanders deal, I don’t have much to say about this one. Jordan Miller was excellent for the Clippers last year in a reserve role, scoring 10 points per game with 3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in just 22.1 minutes while scoring with exceptional efficiency (62.8 True Shooting) and being solid defensively. He’s objectively worth more than the deal the Clippers are paying him, even without the last two seasons being non-guaranteed. If Jordan continues to play at the level he did last year, the Clippers keeping him for the last two years (or moving him for plus value) seems assured. Jordan is also 26 years old, meaning this contract is covering his prime years in the NBA. It feels like a major underpay.

However, similarly to Kobe, I understand this deal from Jordan’s perspective. He is a restricted free agent who was a late second round pick and only has one season of true rotation level play. While I think he’s a very solid role player, the NBA might not be quite as convinced, especially since he was a five-year college player without as much early career hype. There might not have been much out there for Jordan more than this.

In addition, just like Kobe, Miller has been on two-way contracts or league minimums in his first three season. This contract is thus a massive salary raise for him, and a much-earned reward for how hard he’s worked to develop his game over his three years in the NBA.

With the Miller signing, the Clippers now have 12 full roster contracts, with Baba Miller likely filling a 13th, though he could be signed to a two-way if needed. Nick Martinelli, the Clippers’ other second-round pick, will almost certainly be on a two-way. It should be noted that Cam Christie’s deal is non-guaranteed with a guarantee date of after Summer League, so he could be cut if needed. I do think cutting him and bringing him back on a two-way is a better use of resources.

Regardless, the Clippers only have two full roster spots left as of right now, with a massive hole on their roster at power forward. I think those two spots will be filled by a starter acquired by free agent or trade and by Nic Batum, though if the power forward is acquired via trade, it would presumably open up another roster spot vacated by whoever is sent out. The Clippers definitely still have moves to make.

Congratulations to Jordan on the deal. Jordan is, somehow, the longest-tenured player on the team, and will continue to be so moving forward.

Clippers Re-Sign Jordan Miller To Three Year Deal
Robert Flom

After an action-packed first day of free agency, the Clippers have been dead silent the past two days. However, the NBA has certainly not been quiet, with a steady stream of trades and free agent signings taking talent off the board. Here’s a quick look at the Clippers’ roster after the first week of free agency and who their targets might be to fill out their roster.

Clippers’ Current Roster (12 full, 1 two-way):

Point Guard: Darius Garland – Keaton Wagler

Shooting Guard: Kris Dunn – Kobe Sanders – Cam Christie

Small Forward: Brandon Ingram – Gradey Dick – Nick Martinelli (two-way)

Power Forward: Derrick Jones Jr. – Baba Miller

Center: Brook Lopez – Yanic Konan Niederhauser – Isaiah Jackson

Some other developments that haven’t been explicitly covered on here in the past few days are the departures of John Collins (Pistons) and Bogdan Bogdanovic, Bradley Beal’s probable departure, and Cam Christie pushing his contract guarantee date until after Summer League. Bogi leaving was expected, and Beal’s opt out meant a departure likely, but Collins leaving for a slightly-above Mid-Level Exception (MLE) deal was a blow, especially paired with the Kawhi trade.

As you can see above, the Clippers are relatively set at the guard positions. This is especially considering the likely return of Jordan Miller, who is a restricted free agent and who the Clippers are reportedly interested in bringing back. If you add him into the shooting guard/small forward mix, the team looks more or less set at those positions.

What that means for restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin is unknown. There has been literally no news or reporting on Mathurin for weeks, which is interesting. Maybe that means he is coming back to the Clippers and they are just waiting for other shoes to drop, or maybe his market is cold and teams aren’t interested, giving the Clippers a chance to get him on the cheap. Mathurin and Ingram play different positions and have different styles, but both are ball-dominant players with some tunnel vision tendencies, and I’m not sure having both of them on the roster is a great idea. On the other hand, the Clippers are leaning younger and need more firepower, so Mathurin does check those boxes. Ultimately, I think he’s less likely to return now than he was pre-Kawhi trade.

The only other Clippers’ free agent of note is Nic Batum, who has also had no buzz around him since the Clippers declined his option last week. He has never firmly said it, but the assumption has been that if Nic plays in the NBA it will only be for the Clippers, so I’d be surprised if he went elsewhere. It is also possible he retires, but I would think he would have made that known already.

The Batum situation is of particular importance because the Clippers have no real power forwards on the roster unless you count second-round rookie Baba Miller, who is almost certainly not ready for NBA rotation minutes. Derrick Jones Jr., Brandon Ingram, and Kobe Sanders can all play there in a pinch, but the rebounding and back-line defense would take huge hits with any of them playing there closer to full-time. Thus, even though Nico was phased out of the rotation towards the end of last year, having him available for 18 minutes per game would help a lot on this roster. I think I’d expect him to return.

If Batum does return, that would give the Clippers two full roster spots and two two-way spots. One of those full spots has to go to a starting forward. Unfortunately, the options there are limited. The best player on the market is LeBron James, but he’s not coming to the Clippers. After him, the next best options are Rui Hachimura and Jonathan Kuminga, with Rui most likely getting the full MLE and Kuminga somewhere under that. I don’t particularly like either Rui or Kuminga; Rui is a much better fit on this roster, but is older and has no upside. Kuminga is an awful fit with Ingram but is still young enough to have some breakout potential.

If the Clippers can’t land Rui or Kuminga, the free agency forward market gets very rough. Per Spotrac, other options would be Guerschon Yabusele (not good last year), Jeremy Sochan (intriguing but has been bad in the NBA so far), Trendon Watford (minimum player), and then a series of washed veterans like Jeff Green, Kelly Olynyk, Kevin Love, and Larry Nance Jr. Not a single one of those guys is a starter in 2026, and most of them are barely even rotation caliber backups.

There is always the trade market. Dorian Finney-Smith got dumped today, and while he was absolutely awful last year for the Rockets, he has a trade record of being a decent rotation forward. The Lakers are trying to dump Jarred Vanderbilt; he’s been very disappointing for them, but he’s a good defender and energy guy to have off the bench. There are other options that will be available, and if the Clippers can’t land Rui or Kuminga they might have to go that route. PJ Washington from the Mavericks would be an ideal bet, though the Clippers would probably have to give up a real asset to get him.

The big name that I haven’t mentioned yet is Peyton Watson. The Clippers have been heavily linked to the Nuggets forward – he’s more in line with their new timeline, he went to UCLA, and he had a breakout season last year. The issues with Watson are twofold. First, I think the Nuggets probably will end up matching his deal, even if it’s large, and will find salary to dump to keep him without going over the second apron. Second, Watson, despite his 6’8 height, is better at defending smaller players instead of larger players, and is just not really a power forward. I’d be fine with the Clippers signing him, but I don’t think he’s really the answer for that hole on the roster.

In terms of other roster moves, I think the other full roster spot will likely go to a veteran third-string point guard just to provide depth there. The center position is weak, but there are almost no decent centers still available and the few still remaining are looking to sign with contenders. Maybe the Clippers bring in a flier on a two-way deal as minimal depth, but I think the full roster spots will go elsewhere.

Clippers 2026 Offseason Update: Entering July 4 Weekend
Robert Flom