The Clippers’ best-case scenario still starts with one thing: Darius Garland steering the offense for a full season.
That’s the read from Kelly Iko of Yahoo Sports, who pointed to Garland’s arrival from Cleveland in February as the kind of move that can keep Los Angeles afloat. Garland came in dealing with a lingering toe injury, but even in that limited stretch he made his presence felt. In 19 games, he averaged 19.9 points and 6.4 assists, and he helped push the Clippers into the play-in tournament.
Iko sees that kind of playmaking as a boost for the shooters around him, including Max Strus, Garland’s former teammate in Cleveland. Strus came in last month as part of the five-team deal involving Peyton Watson.
Iko also believes Garland could help get Gradey Dick back on track. Dick is part of the pending Kawhi Leonard trade with Toronto, and after showing promise in his first two NBA seasons, his minutes dropped sharply last year.
The concern on the other end of the floor is harder to miss. Iko wrote that the defense is expected to take a major hit once Brandon Ingram steps in to replace Leonard in the starting lineup. That, he suggested, helps explain why the Clippers moved with urgency to try to sign Rui Hachimura away from the Lakers in free agency.
Elsewhere in the Pacific Division, Ben Simmons is trying to get his own career back on track in Sacramento, and Jason Jones of The Athletic says that comeback should be enough to keep his attention where it belongs. Simmons agreed to a one-year deal with the Kings on Friday, and Jones wrote that he’s in no position to be handing out guidance to younger players after the detours of the last few years.
There is, however, at least some sense that Simmons could want this to last longer than a single season. On Sactown Sports 1140, ESPN’s Marc J.
Spears said Simmons would like the arrangement to extend beyond one year if things go well. “If they give him the opportunity and he does well, and he wants them back, they want him back, and it’s fair, I think he’d want to stay,” Spears said.
In Los Angeles, Jeanie Buss may still have a path to remain the Lakers’ governor. Khobi Price of The New York Post reported that Buss could keep the role if she can buy enough shares to hold her ownership stake at 15%. A legal filing last month in a Los Angeles court said fellow minority owners Patrick Soon-Shiong and Ed Roski Jr. support keeping Buss in that position, but they are not willing to sell their shares, which total 7%.
And Draymond Green is taking the Clippers’ sanctions in a broader direction. According to Luca Evans of The San Francisco Chronicle, Green used his podcast to question why the NBA has a salary cap at all.
“I think that’s what comes out of this,” Green said. “Why is there a salary cap?
Why are guys being prevented from making money from team sponsors or league sponsors, or whoever else? We talk about, we’re in a league that is player-centric, that is player-focused, that is player-driven, that has the best benefits, best interest for the players.
And here’s a situation where a guy can make 20 to 30 million extra dollars, and we’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, you’re in trouble.’ I’m happy Kawhi didn’t get the bulk of this punishment.
I think it’s absolutely beautiful.”
In Other News...
Clippers Suddenly Face A Much Bigger Darius Garland Decision
The Clippers are staring at a far more complicated offseason than a typical roster shuffle after the NBA handed down major penalties for cap circumvention, including the loss of five first-round picks and a fine. With that kind of draft damage hanging over the franchise, every move has extra weight, and the front office is already thinking in terms of asset recovery as much as on-court fit.
Darius Garland has quickly become part of that conversation, with the Clippers reportedly exploring whether a trade could help replenish the pick supply they just watched disappear. They already added two first-rounders by moving Kawhi Leonard, but any Garland deal would need to bring back even more draft capital if Los Angeles is going to start clawing back from the leagues punishment. [Read more 🡒]
Chris Paul Reopens A Painful Clippers Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Chris Pauls latest public reflection on his Clippers exit brought an old wound back into view for a fan base that still remembers how abruptly that chapter ended. During an appearance on the Build or Break podcast, Paul revisited the difficult departure from Los Angeles and made clear that the breakup stuck with him long after he was gone, adding fresh weight to one of the franchises most uncomfortable what-ifs.
For Clippers followers, the timing only sharpens the memory of how that ending unfolded, with Paul traded to Toronto before ever taking the floor for the Raptors and later announcing his retirement without another game in that uniform. His comments have reopened questions about how the organization managed the breakup and why the final moments of a defining era still carry so much frustration. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Just Added Another Reason Veterans May Stay Away
The Clippers have already spent plenty of time trying to sell themselves as a destination, but that pitch gets a little harder when the organization is carrying long-term uncertainty and a growing list of veterans who may remember how things ended. Chris Paul began the season in Los Angeles before being moved at midseason, and the timing alone was enough to reopen an old conversation about how the franchise treats established players.
For a team that could be staring at a lottery future while owing its first-round pick for five straight years starting in 2029, reputation matters even more. Veteran free agents tend to look for stability, respect and a clear path to winning, and the Clippers now have to navigate both the basketball side of that equation and the lingering feeling that some players may not love the way business gets done there. [Read more 🡒]