The Clippers’ path forward doesn’t have to be defined by the five first-round picks they lost for circumventing the cap. That punishment has understandably created real anxiety around the franchise’s future, but there is still a route for LA to stay competitive long term if the front office handles the next few years the right way.
The key is simple: keep as much cap space as possible available for the 2027 offseason and use it on restricted free agents. That means resisting the temptation to absorb a bad contract just to get back into the first-round pick market. That idea has been floated since the league came down on the Clippers, and while it might look useful on paper, the safer play is to stay disciplined.
That discipline could pay off because the 2027 restricted free-agent class is expected to be loaded. Unlike the usual summers where one or two names stand out, this group could give the Clippers a real menu of high-end options.
One obvious target would be Brandon Miller of the Charlotte Hornets. He is 24 years old and, according to the source material, has shown he can be an NBA All-Star with the right surroundings and support system.
The Clippers could also go after Scoot Henderson, a former second overall pick, along with Ausar Thompson, who is described as one of the league’s best defenders, and Keyonte George, who is projected as a future All-Star.
If those options don’t break their way, LA could still turn to Cason Wallace, Michael Porter Jr., Anthony Black, or Bilal Coulibaly.
That’s the crux of it: the Clippers’ long-term outlook doesn’t have to be bleak. If they cash in on the 2027 restricted free-agent class, they can build a workable future without following a traditional rebuild path.
In Other News...
Clippers Finally End A Damaging Saga With Serious Fallout Ahead
The Clippers have finally put an end to a drawn-out fight with the NBA over salary cap circumvention tied to a deal with Aspiration, accepting the leagues punishments and closing a messy chapter that has hovered over the organization for months. The fallout is steep, with penalties hitting both the front office and the franchises long-term outlook, and it leaves a familiar question hanging over a team that had hoped this issue would fade quietly into the background.
Steve Ballmer addressed the situation with an apology and said the Clippers remain committed to the future, even as the organization moves on from the dispute. What remains unresolved is the broader damage, since the leagues ruling reaches well beyond a one-time hit and now forces the Clippers to reckon with the cost of an investigation that is not ending on their terms. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Just Cleared The Biggest Hurdle In The Kawhi Trade
The Clippers have finally taken a major step toward moving past the leagues punishment for salary cap circumvention, accepting the NBAs penalties and removing one of the biggest roadblocks that had delayed the Kawhi Leonard trade. The deal, reached in late June, had been on hold while the league considered the fallout, and Los Angeles is still sorting through the impact of suspensions on key front office executives while trying to stabilize its leadership structure.
With the league now prepared to move the trade process forward even without an interim governor in place, the conversation shifts back to the basketball side of the transaction and what it means for a franchise trying to reset after a turbulent stretch. The framework has been there for months, and the remaining question is how quickly the league and the Clippers can clear the last administrative hurdles before the move is formally completed. [Read more 🡒]
Nets Just Became Part Of A Brutal NBA Warning Story
The Clippers have spent years trying to define themselves in a city where the Lakers still set the tone, and that dynamic is what Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon were revisiting when they drew a parallel to the Nets and their own place in New York. The point was not just about branding or bragging rights. It was about how a franchise can get pulled into chasing its neighbor so hard that it starts making bold, high-risk choices in an effort to catch up.
Joey Linns reporting added another layer to that conversation, framing the Clippers longstanding inferiority complex as something that has shaped more than just roster-building. In that view, the pressure of living in the Lakers shadow has influenced decisions at the very top of the organization and helps explain why the team has sometimes operated with such urgency. The warning story now hanging over all of it is how far that mindset can go when a franchise decides normal caution is no longer enough. [Read more 🡒]