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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Derrick Jones Jr.

Robert Flom — Tue, 10 Jun 2025 14:00:56 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Derrick Jones Jr.

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers concludes with Derrick Jones Jr., the team’s starting power forward for much of the season.

Basic Information

Height: 6’6

Weight: 210 pounds

Position: Small forward/Power forward/Shooting guard

Age: 28

Years in NBA: 9

Key Regular Season Stats: 10.1 points, 0.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.0 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 0.9 turnovers in 24.3 minutes per game across 77 games played (55 starts) on 52.6/35.6/70.3 (2.8 3PA and 1.5 FTA attempts) shooting splits (60.9 True Shooting)

Key Playoff Stats: 7.3 points, 0.3 assists, 1.9 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 1.3 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers in 18.4 minutes per game across 7 games played (1 start) on 43.8/30.0/37.5 (2.9 3PA and 1.1 FTA attempts) shooting splits (49.5 True Shooting)

Expectations

Derrick Jones Jr. was the biggest name acquisition of the Clippers’ 2024 offseason, with the team signing him to the full taxpayer mid-level exception of 3 years, $30M. Coming off a breakout season where he started for the NBA Champion runner-up Dallas Mavericks, Derrick was expected to bring excellent perimeter defense, above-the-rim play on offense, slashing in the halfcourt, and just enough three-point shooting to make him a threat from deep.

Reality

Derrick Jones Jr. mostly had an excellent regular season, setting career highs in games played, minutes per game, points per game, steals per game, and three-point percentage. He started for most of the season at power forward, not quite as expected, and joined forces with Kris Dunn to combine for one of the best perimeter defensive duos in the entire league. Meanwhile, while the three-point shooting was streaky, DJJ’s soaring athleticism resulted in numerous highlight dunks the likes of which Clippers’ fans hadn’t seen since Blake Griffin. There were not many huge scoring nights, but as a fifth starter role player, DJJ filled his role to a t.

Unfortunately, like so many other Clippers, DJJ struggled in the playoffs. The Nuggets left him wide open from three (maybe not quite as open as they left Kris Dunn, but close) and DJJ was not able to make them pay either in terms of volume (2.9 attempts) or percentage (30%). With Nic Batum playing well and the Clippers giving their star players even more minutes, DJJ’s role declined, with all of his production stats trickling down in the postseason. And, while his defense was good as always, DJJ was not really able to bother Jamal Murray much while being far too small to cover Aaron Gordon. It was a tough postseason for Derrick, just like it was for the Clippers as a whole.

Future with Clippers

Derrick Jones Jr. has two more years left on his 3 year, $30M contract. That makes him one of the few players on the roster (along with Ivica Zubac and Kawhi Leonard) with fully guaranteed money on the books after next summer. DJJ had a good season with the Clippers, is in his prime, and makes sense with the current stars, so he seems a likely candidate to remain on the roster for the duration of his deal.

However, because his contract is so easily moveable, and because DJJ himself is the kind of player that teams are always looking for, he’s also absolutely a trade piece for the Clippers. If their 2027 or even 2026 season does not go nearly as well as their 2025 season, DJJ is ripe to be moved to a playoff team for a young guy or picks. I don’t think he’ll get moved this summer unless it’s for a star, but there will definitely be teams interested in DJJ and the Clippers might bite at some point. Still, odds are DJJ will be on the roster for Opening Night 2026.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Derrick Jones Jr.
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Nic Batum

Robert Flom — Mon, 09 Jun 2025 14:00:38 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Nic Batum

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with beloved fan favorite Nicolas Batum.

Basic Information

Height: 6’8

Weight: 230 pounds

Position: Power Forward/Center

Age: 36

Years in NBA: 17

Key Regular Season Stats: 4.0 points, 1.1 assists, 2.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers in 17.5 minutes per game across 78 games played (eight starts) on 43.7/43.3/81.0 (2.6 3PA and 0.3 FTA attempts) shooting splits (63.3 True Shooting)

Key Playoff Stats: 5.6 points, 2.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 steals, 1.7 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers in 24.6 minutes per game across 7 games played (0 starts) on 39.4/39.4 (4.7 3PA and 0 FTA attempts) shooting splits (59.1 True Shooting)

Expectations

After being traded in the James Harden deal early in the 2024 season, Nico re-signed with the Clippers to much rejoicing. Fans, players, coaches, and the front office all missed Nic in LA, and he and his family clearly missed being with the Clippers in Los Angeles. The expectations for Batum were clear: be a very similar role player to the guy he’d been for three years for the Clips, just on a slightly smaller minutes load. All Nico had to do was his usual 40% from three, connective passing, and solid defense, and he would be meeting the mark.

Reality

As he basically always has as a Clipper, Nico came through. He was incredibly reliable for a 36-year-old, playing in nearly every game and maintaining a steady level of play befitting a 7^th man on a playoff team. Nico made over 43% of his threes (albeit on relatively low volume), was a lynchpin on defense for one of the best defensive teams in the NBA, and helped with ball movement, entry passes, and general flow on offense. The production was far more limited than it was even earlier in his Clippers tenure, but the impact was undeniable.

Nico continued his strong campaign with a fantastic playoffs. He was one of two players on the Clippers, along with Ivica Zubac, that either met or exceeded expectations in the postseason, upping his minutes, points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks while making a solid number of his threes. The series did showcase some of Nico’s weaknesses, especially his lack of versatility on offense – he took no free throws in the series, and somehow did not take a single two-point shot in seven games. That said, he was good on defense, was the only Clippers’ role player to shoot well from deep, and proved essential to balancing the Clippers’ lineups as a two-way player.

If anything, Nic Batum’s importance to the Clippers this late in his career showed some of the weaknesses of the roster. The Clippers kept him mothballed for most of the regular season with very low minute loads, but he was a key piece in the playoffs, and quite frankly, 36-year-old role players should not be as important as Nico was. While Nico is a singularly gifted role player, it would be nice if the Clippers found a true starting-level power forward so they could prepare for a roster post-Nico.

Future with Clippers

Nico has a $4.9M player option for next year. Just about all reports are that he will pick that player option up to suit up for the Clippers in the 2026 season. Nico could retire, but he clearly showed he still has something left in the tank, and it’s tough to pass up that much money, even for a long-time NBA player. Of course, it’s possible Nico could decline the option and go elsewhere, but that seems incredibly unlikely given his fondness for the Clippers – and the team’s trust in him. I think Nico will be on the Clippers in 2026 for the last season of his quite incredible NBA career, and I just hope that it’s a season where they are able to remain relevant.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Nic Batum
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Drew Eubanks

Robert Flom — Thu, 05 Jun 2025 14:00:56 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Drew Eubanks

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with mid-season acquisition Drew Eubanks.

Basic Information

Height: 6’9

Weight: 245 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 28

Years in NBA: 7

Key Regular Season Stats: 2.7 points, 0.4 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 0.1 steals, 0.3 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers in 7.4 minutes per game across 24 games played (zero starts) on 55.1/78.6 (0.6 FTA attempts) shooting splits (58.9 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: Garbage time only

Expectations

Drew Eubanks was acquired mid-season along with Patty Mills for Mo Bamba and PJ Tucker. While Eubanks was filling Bamba’s spot in the rotation as the backup big man, there were really no illusions that Eubanks would become a key part of the Clippers’ playoff push. Instead, expectations were that he would play some minutes if Zu was in foul trouble, get limited rotation chances against certain matchups, and just be on hand in case of injury so the Clippers had another veteran big to fill gaps.

Reality

Reality squarely met expectations, as Eubanks played under 200 minutes in the regular season for the Clippers and only logged 13 garbage time minutes in the playoffs. While Eubanks appeared in most of the regular season games down the stretch of the season, a lot of those minutes came exclusively in garbage time. When Eubanks did play, he was mostly bad, with his energy and hustle not made up for by his lack of height, athleticism, or, quite frankly, skill. His baseline competence as a seasoned NBA veteran made him better than Kai Jones, but he was not a marked improvement over Mo Bamba. Instead, he sat right in the Mo zone as “good 3^rd stringer, not a solid option for a rotation spot”.

Future with Clippers

Eubanks is under contract for next season at a non-guaranteed $4.75M. While that’s an overpay for a guy who to me is not really a rotation player on a good team, it’s still an easily movable contract that the Clippers can use in trades. Thus, while it’s possible he gets traded this summer, I find it unlikely that the Clippers will waive him to cut his salary entirely unless doing so unlocks a move that can’t be done via trade. Considering the Clippers don’t have another center on the roster after Ivica Zubac, I think it’s also perfectly logical to think that Eubanks also actually makes the Clippers’ opening night roster as their backup center, even if he’s not the ideal candidate.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Drew Eubanks
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Ivica Zubac

Robert Flom — Wed, 04 Jun 2025 14:00:25 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Ivica Zubac

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with starting center Ivica Zubac, on whom there’s not much to say, really, because it’s already all been said and is just about all positive.

Basic Information

Height: 7’0

Weight: 240 pounds

Position: Center

Age: 28

Years in NBA: 9

Key Regular Season Stats: 16.8 points, 2.7 assists, 12.6 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 1.1 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers in 32.8 minutes per game across 80 games played (all starts) on 62.8/66.1 (3.0 FTA attempts) shooting splits (64.1 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 17.4 points, 2.3 assists, 10.1 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 1.6 turnovers in 36.6 minutes per game across seven games played (all starts) on 65.9/53.8 shooting splits (3.7 FTA) shooting splits (65.3 True Shooting)

Expectations

After a very solid 2024, Ivica Zubac was locked in as the Clippers’ starting center, the same role he’s held for nearly a half decade now (remember when Serge Ibaka was the starter? Good times). Fresh off a major contract extension in the offseason, Zu was expected to be a sturdy and reliable starter, providing rebounding on both ends of the court, strong rim protection, and pick and roll play for James Harden. Some fans thought Zu could take a step forward with no Paul George and another year of chemistry with Harden, but most people expected a fairly similar campaign to the years prior.

Reality

Big Zu had himself a career year in every way possible. He set career highs in games played, minutes per game, points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, and steals per game. Zu led the NBA in total rebounds, defensive rebounds, and offensive rebounds collected. He placed on the Second Team All Defense, and was just a hair outside of finishing on the First Team. Zu received Defensive Player of the Year votes and even an All NBA vote. It was a banner campaign for Zu.

The thing is, all of it was deserved. Zu played in 80 games, showing up just about each and every night to give the Clippers a points + rebounds double-double with exceptional defense. He was the lynchpin to the Clippers’ top-five defense, a monster inside protecting the rim and a smart help defender that consistently covered up for perimeter player mistakes. Zu was a force on the glass, punishing smaller opponents with offensive rebounds and getting the Clippers out in transition with defensive boards. The pick and roll chemistry with Harden reached new heights, and Zu carved out an increasingly large role as a go-to scorer in the post.

Zu’s excellent regular season carried into the postseason. He went head-to-head against one of the best players of all time in Nikola Jokic, and while the Clippers lost, Zu did his darndest to slow Jokic while scoring efficiently on the other end. He, like the entire team, slowed a bit as the series went along, but of all the Clippers’ key players he was the most consistent performer while handling the most difficult matchup. It was a strong capper to a great season for the longest-tenured Clipper.

Future with Clippers

Zu is under contract for three more years at just under $59M total, one of the best non-rookie, non-superstar contracts in the entire NBA. It’s almost impossible to imagine the Clippers moving Zu unless it’s for a true superstar or for a blue-chip young prospect, and neither of those options seems very likely in the near future. Ivica Zubac should be this team’s starting center and defensive bedrock for most of the rest of this decade, and that’s a good thing!

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Ivica Zubac
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kobe Brown

Robert Flom — Tue, 03 Jun 2025 14:00:00 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kobe Brown

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with little-used second-year forward Kobe Brown.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 250 pounds

Position: Power Forward

Age: 25

Years in NBA: 2

Key Regular Season Stats: 1.9 points, 0.6 assists, 1.6 rebounds, and 0.2 steals in 6.8 minutes per game across 40 games played (zero starts) on 45.8/23.1/71.4 shooting splits (0.7 3PA, 0.2 FTA) shooting splits (51.3 True Shooting)

G-League Stats: 21.0 points, 4.0 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 3.2 turnovers in 33.3 minutes per game across six games played (all starts) on 47.4/36.6/80 shooting splits (6.8 3PA, 2.5 FTA) shooting splits (62 True Shooting)

Expectations

After a rookie season where Kobe Brown received only scant time in Ty Lue’s rotation, fans hoped that the second-year player would figure as a somewhat more prominent factor in the Clippers’ plans in 2025. The Clippers only had three true power forwards on the roster outside of Kobe, one of which was the exiled PJ Tucker, and another of which was the injured Kawhi Leonard. Thus, it seemed reasonable that Kobe could carve out a rotation spot until Kawhi Leonard returned, even with the quantity of guards and wings on the roster that were more proven NBA players.

Reality

Kobe Brown unfortunately played even less of a role in the Clippers’ 2025 season than he did their 2024 season, logging just 272 minutes across 40 games with nearly all of those coming in garbage time. There’s also not much to take from Kobe’s G-League numbers either, as he played just six games for the San Diego Clippers.

It’s hard to call it a lost season for Kobe – he got to practice with the “big league” team and received another year of training and conditioning. Hopefully real progress was made, even if we couldn’t see it. But Kobe being unable to play for the 2025 Clippers was undoubtedly a disappointment, as they were small on the wing and playing bad centers for most of the season… with Kobe theoretically able to fill both of those holes. The fact that the Clippers didn’t think he could play over Kai Jones or Mo Bamba as a small-ball center, or as a power forward when the Clippers were playing four guards, is worrisome. It’s hard to know why Kobe didn’t play, but his poor three-point shooting (in limited minutes) and inability to defend without fouling were probably the main reasons why he didn’t play more.

Future with Clippers

The Clippers exercised Kobe’s third-year option last fall, so he will be on the books for $2.65M for next season, with a team option for $4.79M the following year. Honestly, things aren’t looking great for Kobe, who has been unable to crack the Clippers’ rotation as an older first-round pick on a team that kind of needs the exact archetype of player (beefy power forward) that Kobe fits. Ty Lue has been reticent to play young players for most of his tenure as the Clippers’ head coach – but also most of the young players he’s ignored have in fact not been NBA-level talent.

I do think Kobe has more talent and is a better fit for the modern NBA than Mfiondu Kabengele, Daniel Oturu, or Jason Preston, but he needs to find the range on his three-point shot or become a better defender to stick in the league. I think the Clippers will probably give him one more shot to crack the rotation in 2026, but it would not surprise me at all if he was traded as salary ballast or as a throw-in to a deal this summer.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kobe Brown
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kawhi Leonard

Robert Flom — Mon, 02 Jun 2025 14:00:14 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kawhi Leonard

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with the team’s best player, the injury-troubled Kawhi Leonard.

Basic Information

Height: 6’7

Weight: 225 pounds

Position: Small Forward/Power Forward

Age: 33 (34 in four weeks)

Years in NBA: 14

Key Regular Season Stats: 21.5 points, 3.1 assists, 5.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals, 0.5 blocks, and 1.9 turnovers in 31.9 minutes per game across 37 games played (all starts) on 49.8/41.1/81.0 (5.1 3PA, 3.3 FTA attempts) shooting splits (58.9 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 25.0 points, 4.7 assists, 7.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 2.1 turnovers in 37.9 minutes per game across seven games played (all starts) on 53.7/40.5/77.8 shooting splits (5.3 3PA, 5.1 FTA) shooting splits (63.0 True Shooting)

Expectations

Perhaps no player in the entire NBA had a wider range of expectations this year than Kawhi Leonard. Pessimists could realistically say they expected absolutely nothing of Kawhi considering his fiasco at the Olympics and his being ruled out indefinitely before the regular season. Optimists could point to Kawhi’s highly successful 2024 regular season and the Clippers just being cautious in bringing him back, with a plan to have him at a similar level in 2025. People in the middle thought Kawhi would miss some portion of the season, and might not be able to reach similar heights as he did in 2025, but still be a contributor of some kind. At the end of the day, nobody knew what to expect from Kawhi.

Reality

Kawhi missed almost half the season with his knee injury, first appearing in the Clippers’ 35^th game of the year, against the Atlanta Hawks on January 4. He had a slow ramp up period, with his first three games being limited to around 20 minutes per game, his next four being around 24 minutes, and his next four sitting at 28 minutes before getting the bump to around 32. Kawhi also sat most of the Clippers’ back-to-backs until very late in the season, when he played in their last two while the Clippers were making their postseason push.

For the first two months of Kawhi’s season, in January and February, even as his playing time progressed, Kawhi did not seem truly like Kawhi. The per minute production was excellent, and the scoring from midrange was as pure as ever, but Kawhi’s impact was not the same. He wasn’t contributing as much on the glass, the defense was only ok, not great, and he wasn’t getting to the free throw line at all. Concerns grew that Kawhi would not be Kawhi again in 2025.

Things shifted in March, when Kawhi’s averages rose to 25 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. More importantly, his defense took a step forward, and his on-court/off-court stats started to reflect a high-impact player. Kawhi’s ramp-up continued for the rest of the season, as his minutes load was completely removed, and he was even able to play in back-to-backs. All seemed set for a vintage Kawhi performance in the playoffs with the Klaw fully healthy and ready to go.

Unfortunately, that’s not really what the Clippers received. Kawhi put forth a dominant Game 2 effort, one of the best performances of his entire career, and one that primed Clippers fans for more of the same after a disappointing Game 1. Instead, the Clippers just got a merely “very good” Kawhi, who was largely impactful but not a true game-changer. While Kawhi’s stats for the series look mighty impressive, his numbers in the six games outside of Game 2 are markedly less so: field goal percentage drops from 53.7 to 49, three point percentage from 40.5 to 36.6, and FT percentage from 77.8 to 74.2, with points per game falling all the way from 25 to 22.6. There was one game of greatness, and that was all.

The Clippers’ previous four playoff runs (2021-2024) all ended with Kawhi on the sidelines not able to contribute on the court. There was always the “what if Kawhi was healthy” factor looming over the Clippers, which meant a lack of closure on those teams. Well, Kawhi was healthy in 2025, and the Clippers lost anyway. That’s not all on Kawhi, of course – almost every Clipper disappointed in the playoffs. But as the team’s best player, the burden falls heaviest on him. It was a miserable ending to what had been a terrific season for both Kawhi and the Clippers.

Future with Clippers

Kawhi Leonard has two more seasons left on his contract at $50 and $50.3M. The Clippers are in a very interesting position, and Kawhi is at the center of it. The team won 50 games while Kawhi only played 37 games and took the Nuggets to 7 games – who took the champion-favorite Thunder to 7 games. The Clippers could very easily decide to keep their current roster together, run things back, and try another season at competing with this core.

There is the chance that the Clippers will conduct more of a reset this summer. Kawhi is entering his mid-30s. Harden is closing in on his late-30s. Most of the other Clippers’ rotation are somewhere in their 30s as well. There is every chance that the Clippers are worse next year, aren’t as healthy entering the postseason, or just don’t have the same infectious chemistry that carried them to 50 wins this year. Thus, could the Clippers get out ahead of those risks and shake up their roster more this summer? It’s possible.

However, moving Kawhi himself remains unlikely. While he only has two years left on his deal, and is an All-NBA caliber player while healthy, it is doubtful that any team would give up real assets for Kawhi – and the Clippers would only trade him for a haul of some kind. Instead, I’d expect the Clippers to retool around Kawhi, and maybe, finally, get a physical, large power forward next to him to help take some of the defensive and rebounding load off his shoulders. I’d be rather shocked if Kawhi was not on the Clippers next season, which means it will be another year of praying he is healthy come end-of-year.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kawhi Leonard
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Patty Mills

Robert Flom — Fri, 30 May 2025 14:00:33 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Patty Mills

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with Patty Mills, the seldom-used veteran guard.

Basic Information

Height: 6’2

Weight: 180 pounds

Position: Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

Age: 36 (37 in August)

Years in NBA: 16

Key Regular Season Stats: 3.1 points, 0.4 assists, and 0.1 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per game across 12 games played (zero starts) on 50/50/88.9 (1.5 3PA, 0.8 FTA attempts) shooting splits (77.2 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: Only played four minutes in Game 7 in garbage time

Expectations

Patty Mills was considered a throw-in to the Drew Eubanks deal, salary filler to help make the deal work. However, widely regarded as one of the best teammates and locker room presences in the NBA, Patty Mills was expected to remain on the Clippers as a vibes bringer for the postseason run. On the court, it was hoped that he would provide a steady presence in garbage time and settle his younger teammates if needed.

Reality

That’s almost exactly what happened. Mills barely played at all in the regular season (61 minutes) and even less in the postseason (4 minutes) with nearly all of his appearances coming firmly in garbage time. Instead, he was most notable for his active presence on the bench, with constant towel waving, shouting, and excited gestures of various sorts for good Clippers plays. There was no doubt that teammates and the coaching staff loved having him, and every shot he took at home the crowd was ready to cheer their guts out for him. There were no contributions on the court, but the vibes were just as good as advertised.

Future with Clippers

This season very well may have been the end of the road for Patty as an NBA player. Patty will be 37 years old by the start of next season, and as a small role playing guard who has barely played the past two years, that’s a tough sell. I think it’s possible he gets signed by a team – Clippers or another squad – as a locker room presence and leader, but teams usually don’t like to “waste” roster spots like that unless it’s on a franchise legend. Maybe the San Antonio Spurs, the organization that Patty was part of the longest, would be interested in a farewell tour, but I find it a bit unlikely. If anything, Patty might go back to his native Australia and play there a season or two before calling it quits.

It has been an exceptional career for Mills, the 55^th pick all the way back in 2009. He played almost 20,000 minutes in the NBA regular season and playoffs and won a championship in San Antonio. It was a pleasure to have him on the Clippers this past season, and I wish him well.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Patty Mills
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Ben Simmons

Robert Flom — Thu, 29 May 2025 14:00:52 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Ben Simmons

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with Ben Simmons, who the Clippers picked up on the buyout market mid-season.

Basic Information

Height: 6’10

Weight: 240 pounds

Position: Center/Point Guard/Power Forward

Age: 28 (29 in July)

Years in NBA: 9 (played in 7)

Key Regular Season Stats: 2.9 points, 3.1 assists, 3.8 rebounds, 0.7 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 0.8 turnovers in 16.4 minutes per game across 18 games played (zero starts) on 43.4/0/85.7 (0 3PA, 0.4 FTA attempts) shooting splits (46.4 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 0.8 points, 0.8 assists, 1.4 rebounds, 0.2 steals, 0.8 blocks, and 0.4 turnovers in 8.4 minutes per game across five games played (zero starts) on 33.3/0 shooting splits (0 3PA, 0 FTA) shooting splits (33.3 True Shooting)

Expectations

When the Clippers signed Ben Simmons to a minimum deal covering the rest of the season after he was bought out by the Nets post-trade deadline, expectations were extremely varied. There were some optimists who thought that putting Ben on a team with structure, talent, and expectations would get him back at least somewhat close to the realm he was in his prime on the Sixers. Some, on the pessimistic side, thought he’d be awful and would not contribute anything positively at all. Most, in the middle, figured he’d probably be a better backup center than Mo Bamba or Kai Jones but that his severe on-court limitations would make him unplayable when games got serious in the playoffs.

Reality

Ben immediately set the bar at a high level, when, in his first game on the team, he logged over 27 minutes and played in crunch time in a win over the Jazz. Ben was just awesome in that game, scoring 12 points on 4-6 shooting, adding 7 rebounds and 6 assists, and dominating on defense with 3 steals and a block. Honestly, he might have even been better than those numbers. He looked confident on offense, contributed on the boards, and was terrific both switching and helping on defense. The optimists were crowing and the pessimists had eggs on their faces.

Unfortunately, it was all downhill from there. Ben had other positive games for the Clippers, but none were even close to that first outing. He also missed time with a sore knee, sitting out for seven games in early-mid March. When he returned, Kawhi’s minutes restriction was fully gone, and his role was decreased. Still, Ben was in Ty Lue’s nine-man rotation entering the playoffs.

Sadly, Ben’s trend line with the Clippers repeated itself in the playoffs. He gave the Clippers legitimately helpful minutes in the first three games, playing solid defense on Jokic, providing pace on offense, and assisting on the glass. In Games 4 and 5, he was much less effective, as the Nuggets’ ignoring him on offense bogged won the Clippers’ attack to an uncomfortable degree. Ty pulled the plug in the second half of Game 5, and Ben did not play again the last 2.5 games.

Ultimately, for a buyout signing on the minimum, Ben was a fine pickup. He gave the Clippers some useful regular season and even playoff minutes and seemed to be a good locker room fit. If anything, the Clippers’ roster flaws meant pushing Ben into a larger role than he probably should have had, and he could not live up to a rotation spot in the playoffs.

Future with Clippers

It’s crazy to think Ben Simmons is not quite 29, has played just seven seasons in the NBA (he’s been in the league for nine but didn’t appear in two of them), has completed a max deal, and might well be out of the league after this year. All of the reporting out there is that the Clippers won’t bring Ben back, and honestly, it’s tough to think of teams that would want Ben. He’s a fine NBA player on a minimum deal, but he’s a uniquely tough fit and it’s very tough to talk yourself into any real upside at this point. I would guess that Ben is signed by some team to a minimum contract (Lakers?), but that it won’t be the Clippers, and they will fill the backup point guard and center spots with other players.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Ben Simmons
Robert Flom

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kris Dunn

Robert Flom — Tue, 27 May 2025 14:00:14 +0000

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Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kris Dunn

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with Kris Dunn, who turned in one of the best defensive seasons in franchise history.

Basic Information

Height: 6’3

Weight: 205 pounds

Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward/Point Guard

Age: 31

Years in NBA: 9

Key Regular Season Stats: 6.4 points, 2.8 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 steals, 0.4 blocks, and 1.0 turnovers in 24.1 minutes per game across 74 games played (58 starts) on 43.9/33.5/68.2 (3.0 3PA, 0.3 FTA attempts) shooting splits (53.1 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 6.3 points, 1.3 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.1 steals, 0.6 blocks, and 0.1 turnovers in 39.4 minutes per game across seven games played (six starts) on 38.6/35.7 shooting splits (4.0 3PA, 0 FTA) shooting splits (50.0 True Shooting)

Expectations

The acquisition of Kris Dunn on a 3 year, $16M deal as part of a sign and trade for Russell Westbrook was widely liked by Clippers’ fans and the general NBA media. However, Dunn was generally considered one of the most minor of the Clippers’ offseason additions, certainly ranking behind Derrick Jones Jr. and Nic Batum. People expected Dunn to serve as a reserve guard capable of manning either the point guard or off-guard role, likely in a pairing with Norm Powell. He was anticipated to serve as a point-of-attack stopper, energy bringer off the bench, and a spare ballhandler behind James Harden.

Reality

The first 11 games of the season went more or less as expected for Kris, who came off the bench and played mostly between 18 to 20 minutes per game. Then, after game 11, with the Clippers’ defense looking a bit inconsistent and the ballhandling pressure on James Harden being too much, Kris was moved into the starting lineup for Terance Mann. And, outside of around a month-long stretch in the middle of the season when he was dealing with a knee injury, he never left it. Dunn’s defense, connective passing, additional ballhandling, and rebounding were all crucial components for the Clippers, even as his varying three-point shot and lack of scoring at the rim were costly on offense. His demonic help defense, ability to generate turnovers, and nagging presence at the point of attack had Dunn ranked as one of the very best defenders in the entire NBA by all advanced metrics as well as the eye test. There were times it seemed Dunn might get benched for Derrick Jones Jr., or Nic Batum, or even Amir Coffey, but he was simply too good for Ty Lue to go away from in the regular season.

Unfortunately, the playoffs did not go quite so well. Dunn had a strong impact at the start of the series as the Clippers seized an early 2-1 lead against the Nuggets. Denver consistently sagged off Dunn and let him shoot threes, but he made them at a solid enough rate and his defense was good enough that any deficits on offense were overcome. As the series went along, however, the Clippers’ offense began to get bogged down, and Ty Lue started searching for other answers. Dunn was benched in the second half of Game 6 for Nic Batum, who then also started Game 7. Dunn was skittish in his brief appearance in Game 7, and mostly played late when the game was already over. Like for almost everyone on the Clippers, it was a disappointing showing, even though I’d argue Dunn met expectations better than most on the team – at least the defense was great, and the three-point shooting numbers were actually solid.

It’s rather hard to overstate Dunn’s impact on the Clippers this year. He was the best perimeter defender I’ve seen in my time covering and watching the Clippers – better than Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Pat Beverley, Luc Mbah a Moute, or whoever else you’d want to throw in that mix from the Blake, Lob City, and 213 eras. He was not just an impactful defensive player on the court, but his energy, hustle, and leadership were huge factors in the Clippers’ overall transformation into a gritty defense-first team. He single-handedly turned several games in the Clippers’ favor, and was a floor raiser on the defensive end that is extremely rare for perimeter players. Despite the disappointing ending in the playoffs for Dunn and the Clippers, it was an extremely memorable season for Dunn in a Clippers’ jersey.

Future with Clippers

Kris Dunn is signed for the 2026 season at $5.4M and then has a non-guaranteed $5.7M in 2027. If Dunn is even remotely close to the player he was in this past season, he will provide far more value than those figures. However, the fact that he outperformed his contract so much is precisely what offers him trade value – there are many, many NBA teams that would love to have Dunn on his current deal. If the Clippers want to do more of a full roster reset, Dunn is one of the players on the team that probably has the most positive value.

At the end of the day, however, Dunn almost certainly has more value to the Clippers than another team – they aren’t getting a lottery pick or blue chip youngster for him, and he’s not a big enough swing piece for a star. Since all the reporting is that the Clippers want to be competitive again next year, trading Dunn or other vets for a step back probably isn’t in the cards anyway.

There’s also the simple fact that Dunn was one of if not the most important piece(s) in the Clippers’ defense-first identity this past season. Yes, he’s probably too limited on offense to be a starter on a true contender. But the Clippers can’t replace his defense, tenacity, and heart. Unless the Clippers get a shocking offer for Dunn, I would expect him to be on the Clips again next season, just maybe in a slightly smaller role.

Clippers 2025 Exit Interviews: Kris Dunn
Robert Flom

2025 Clippers Exit Interviews: James Harden

Robert Flom — Mon, 26 May 2025 14:00:50 +0000

213hoops.com
2025 Clippers Exit Interviews: James Harden

Our exit interview series on the 2025 Clippers continues with the team’s starting point guard and chief playmaker, James Harden.

Basic Information

Height: 6’6

Weight: 220 pounds

Position: Point Guard

Age: 35

Years in NBA: 16

Key Regular Season Stats: 22.7 points, 8.7 assists, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 0.7 blocks, and 4.3 turnovers in 35.3 minutes per game across 79 games played (all starts) on 41.0/35.2/87.4 (8.5 3PA, 7.3 FTA attempts) shooting splits (58.2 True Shooting)

Postseason Stats: 18.7 points, 9.1 assists, 5.4 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 1.0 blocks, and 3.0 turnovers in 39.4 minutes per game across seven games played (all starts) on 43.6/36.4/81.8 shooting splits (6.3 3PA, 4.7 FTA) shooting splits (56.7 True Shooting)

Expectations

Expectations for Harden entering the 2025 season were complicated. On the court, his role was extremely clear-cut – be the starting point guard, offensive organizer, and lead playmaker. However, with the departure of Paul George and questions swirling around the health and availability of Kawhi Leonard, most people’s expectations for the overall team were quite low – it was widely predicted the Clippers would be a mid-30s or maybe upper-30s win team that would be somewhere in the play-in range but not close to a real force in the Western Conference.

Therefore, even if people expected Harden to be very good, their overall expectations were maybe lower than they would have been otherwise, as the season as a whole was not predicted to amount to much. A common projection was for Harden to start off strong but then fade down the stretch of the season, much as he had in his first year on the team in 2024. In short, while there were clear expectations for Harden, the team’s context and his reasonable salary meant that there was not a ton of pressure on him entering 2025.

Reality

James Harden blew all realistic expectations out of the water this past year. There were disappointing moments. The playoffs could have gone better. There were nights he didn’t have it. But 35-year-old James Harden (he turns 36 in August) showed up every game (he missed just three), carried the Clippers on offense just about the entire year, and was by all accounts the leader in the locker room of a team that just didn’t quit despite being frequently undermanned and undertalented.

There are nits to pick, to be sure. Harden shot his worst two-point field goal percentage (47.2%) since his rookie season, frequently failing to finish at the rim and rimming out far too many seemingly clean midrange looks. His three-point shooting was good, not great. The turnovers, especially at the start of the season, were insanely high and often very frustrating own goals. It was not always pretty, especially on defense.

However, considering age, circumstance, and expectations, it was a massive victory of a season for Harden, who deservedly made the All Star Team and squeaked into the All-NBA Third Team, a tremendous honor. His production in terms of points, assists, and rebounds for a team that severely lacked offensive potency was needed every night – the Clippers usually could not do anything on offense without Harden on the court. He weathered the brunt of opposing defensive schemes game-after-game, soldiering through without Kawhi Leonard for most of the year. The Clippers did most of their winning on the defensive end of the court, it’s true, but without Harden’s offense they would not have sniffed the playoffs.

That’s not to excuse the playoffs. But again, considering overall expectations for Harden (second-best player on a good, not great, team), I think his postseason performance was not all that much worse than baseline, and certainly better than several other key Clippers. He was magnificent in Games 1 and 6, excellent in Game 3, good enough in Game 2, not good enough in Game 4, and dreadful in Games 5 and 7. You’d like more consistency, but the highs were incredible and the lows came in games where the entire team shat the proverbial bed. It’s easy to make fun of Harden, who has a horrible track record in the postseason. And I do think that his tendency to not go down firing is incredibly frustrating. But as always, he took too much heat for a series loss where only two Clippers played to or above expectations. It’s just the reality of James Harden in 2025. And, as the Clippers are not reasonably expected to be a championship-caliber team in the near future, that level of play is ultimately fine. If the Clippers are a competitive playoff team the next two years as they clear cap space and slowly rebuild their draft pick equity, that’s a positive outcome.

Future with Clippers

James has a player option for $36.3M for next season, which is immediately one of the most interesting decisions in the NBA. Harden was good enough this season that he was worth much more than that figure, though at his age there is some decline that has to be factored in. Getting that much money at his age is hard to pass up, but almost of the reporting so far is that Harden will opt out of that deal – but exclusively to re-sign on a longer deal with the Clippers. Harden seems to love playing for the Clippers, and the Clippers seem to love having him. So, what’s the issue?

Well, the Clippers have had their eye on the summer of 2026 (and 2027) to reload their roster in free agency for a long time. That means clearing the books, with as few major salaries on the roster as possible. Kawhi and Ivica Zubac are already signed through those years, as are a couple of the younger guys. Harden on a large deal would make things more complicated. That means a true long-term deal (three years or more) seems very unlikely.

If I had to guess, I think Harden will opt out of his player option and then re-sign to a very similarly structured deal (two-year deal, player or team option on the second year) but just with a salary increase. Maybe instead of a 2/70 deal, it will be 2/85. That keeps Harden in LA, rewards him for his excellent 2025 season, and gives the Clippers flexibility for next summer as well as the summer of 2027.

Regardless, it would be pretty surprising at this point if Harden was not on the Clippers next year. The Clippers’ pick is out the door, so there’s no point in them tanking, and Harden was the most important floor-raiser on the roster this past season. I think we will get at least one more season of Uno in Los Angeles, and that’s probably a good thing for all parties.

2025 Clippers Exit Interviews: James Harden
Robert Flom