It’s going to be a long season for the Clippers.
Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac are gone, as is any chance of them being competitive.
Not only are the Clippers starting over after trading their top players but they’re also starting over with their ankles and wrists bound.
The Clippers incurred massive punishments this offseason for violating salary cap circumvention rules regarding Leonard, including losing five future first-round draft picks, a $30 million fine and a yearlong suspension for owner Steve Ballmer.
The biggest losers here are Clippers fans, who went from having Leonard and Paul George carry the team to its first Western Conference finals in 2021 to watching the franchise slowly backslide until it freefalled into its current controversy.
“Our fans deserve to hear from us before this, and for that we’re sorry,” Trent Redden, the Clippers’ interim president of basketball operations, told reporters at media day last month.
“We’ve been listening to the thoughts, the concerns, and feeling the emotions of our fan base. They mean everything to us. Their pain through this time is real, and we feel it and we hear them, as well as our staff members who are proud to be part of this organization. We hope to fulfill our promises to them to build their trust and move forward.”
The Clippers aren’t expected to make any noise this season — or for quite a while. But that said, there’s intrigue around their roster as they enter a rebuilding phase.
Mainly, how will Clippers coach Tyronn Lue develop Darius Garland, who was an All-Star with the Cavaliers in 2022 and 2025?
After the Clippers acquired Garland for Harden in February, Lue said he envisioned Garland taking on a Kyrie Irving-type of role alongside Leonard. He had hoped they could soar similarly to the way Irving and LeBron James did en route to bringing the Cavaliers their first championship in 2016.
But the Clippers traded Leonard to the Raptors over the summer. And the main spoil of that deal, Brandon Ingram, is out for the start of the season following heel surgery that also repaired a partially torn Achilles.
So, we’re going to have to wait to see the Garland-and-Ingram pairing.
Meantime, Garland will need to be everything for the short-handed Clippers, who also are missing Yanic Konan Niederhauser, Max Strus and Jordan Miller at the start of the season. Meanwhile, Bradley Beal is still not practicing with the team because of knee inflammation following hip surgery last season.
There are a lot of moving parts for the Clippers. who will begin trying to lick their wounds this season and recover from the humiliating-and-debilitating sanctions they suffered following the Aspiration scandal.
They have some real talent. They have a great coach.
But the punishments they received will set them back years, and it’s going to be a long time before their fans have something to get really excited about.
That’s a tough pill to swallow for a franchise that has never won a championship, especially one that shares a city with the 17-time championship Lakers.
But the Clippers curse appears to be the gift that keeps giving, rearing its ugly head whenever it seems as though they could have a breakthrough.
STARTING 5
Can Garland remain healthy?
Garland only played in 19 games following the trade last season. He had surgery on his left big toe in June 2025 and then suffered a right toe sprain in January.
But when he was on the court, he showed a lot of promise. He averaged 19.9 points on 47.1% shooting from the field (43.8% from beyond the arc) and 6.4 assists per game. He really turned heads in a 41-point, 11-assist performance against the Mavericks on March 21.
The Clippers are going to need the 26-year-old Garland to be at his best for them to be interesting this season.
What’s going to happen with Lue?
Lue is under contract through the 2028-29 season and is one of the NBA’s highest-paid coaches. He’s used to being at the helm of competitive teams. This is new for him. And it’s not what he signed up for.
That said, he has maintained unwavering loyalty to Ballmer and the Clippers’ organization. But is he up for being the Clippers’ long-term coach through a rebuild? Heck, could the Clippers even trade him considering how hamstrung they are for assets? Really, he may be their most valuable chip.
Will Beal emerge as a star again?
Beal could’ve left the Clippers in free agency. The Heat wanted him. The Celtics and Warriors were reportedly interested as well.
But Beal chose to re-sign a two-year, $13.1 million deal with the flailing Clippers. The three-time All-Star, who missed at least 29 games the last five seasons because of various injuries, had his reasons for returning.
“My biggest thing is who gives me the best advantage of being available, being myself consistently,” Beal recently told reporters. “And I have a great relationship with the staff here. And I entrusted them with putting me in that position.”
Here’s to hoping the oft-injured 33-year-old can return to his prior form quickly.
What can we expect from Ingram?
There’s no timetable for the return of Ingram, who is earning $40 million this season and has a $41.9 million player option for 2027-28. Redden told reporters at media day that doctors discovered the Achilles injury while Ingram had surgery on his heel.
The two-time All-Star averaged 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Raptors last season.
When he returns, he’ll greatly ease the offensive load for Garland and is projected to be the team’s leading scorer. Suffice it to say, Garland wants him on the court as soon as possible.
“Whenever [Ingram] comes back, when he gets out there, I think our pick and roll will be the No. 1 thing we go to,” Garland told reporters. “I think that can be really nasty.”
Will Keaton Wagler live up to expectations?
The Clippers selected Wagler with the No. 5 overall pick in the draft. He may be the highest pick they have for a while after they were stripped of five first-round picks. The Clippers need him to make an immediate impact, especially with Ingram out.
The 6-foot-6 guard is an elite offensive creator, a skilled shooter and a high-IQ player. If he can transform into an NBA-ready player quickly, he could help the Clippers’ offense, which is going to need a scoring punch.
“He’s very smart, very bright, and he picks things up quickly,” Lue told reporters. “Everything we give him, he comes back the next day, he understands it, he does it and he actually executes it.”
BUZZER BEATERS
– Newcomer to Watch
Rui Hachimura was a very underrated part of the Lakers’ success last season. He was perhaps their most consistent postseason performer behind LeBron James, averaging 17.5 points over 10 games on 54.9% shooting from the field and 56.9% from beyond the arc.
The Clippers are going to need his offensive production. They need someone who can make a big impact on the wing. And Hachimura is ready to expand his role and show he can do more than just be a catch-and-shoot player. He signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Clippers over the summer. This could be a win-win for both parties.
– Most Important Decision
After the league released its punishments following the investigation into the Clippers and Leonard, the team initially released a statement claiming it “vehemently” rejected the NBA’s findings.
But a few weeks later, Ballmer changed course.
It’s a good thing. He’s allowing the organization to move forward. He’s allowing the players to play without this hanging over their heads. He’s stopping this from dragging out further.
“This has been a very difficult time for everybody associated with the Clippers, and for that, I have sincere regrets,” Ballmer said in a statement. “I want to apologize to our fans, employees, and my fellow NBA team owners for the distraction and distress this matter has caused, for which I accept responsibility as principal owner.
“We are committing to put this chapter behind us. We have communicated to the NBA that we are complying with the penalties assessed by the league, have paid the fine, and are moving forward.”
– Good Days to Come
Welp, things can’t get much worse. There’s something comforting in that. The Clippers’ stars are gone. The team received heavy sanctions. No one expects much from the Clippers.
That’s freeing in a way.
If Ingram can quickly return to the lineup, and he and Garland develop chemistry, maybe the team could surprise us. Once the other pieces return, including Beal and Strus, things could get interesting.
There’s only up to go from here for the Clippers, who haven’t gotten past the first round of the playoffs in the last five years.
– Bad Days Ahead
Getting stripped of five first-round picks from 2029-2033 is a huge deal. In the trade that sent Leonard to the Raptors that became official on Sept. 14, the Clippers got Ingram, Gradey Dick, two unprotected first-round picks in 2031 and 2033, two second-round picks in 2030 and 2033 and a 2027 first-round pick swap.
That helps.
But the Clippers have a long road ahead.
– Don’t Be Surprised If …
The Clippers overhaul their roster at the trade deadline to try to get back some draft capital. Players such as Derrick Jones Jr., Kris Dunn, Brook Lopez, Beal and Strus could be flipped ahead of the February trade deadline.
Though none of those guys would likely yield a first-round pick, the Clippers could potentially stock up on second-round picks. The Clippers have many ways to play this situation, and that’s one thing to keep an eye on this season.
– Story That Won’t Go Away
The Clippers curse. It’s real, folks. This franchise is seemingly endlessly embroiled in drama, from Donald Sterling being forced to relinquish ownership of the team in 2014 after audio recordings were leaked of him making racist remarks, to epic collapses, to stars wanting out, to the team’s most recent scandal.
There’s seemingly always a dark cloud following this team, preventing it from ever really flourishing.