The Clippers have waived Yuki Kawamura, trimming their preseason roster and leaving the team with 20 players, the club announced Monday night.
Kawamura’s time with L.A. was brief, but he did flash in preseason action. He appeared in both of the Clippers’ first two exhibition games and turned in his best outing in Saturday’s loss to Toronto, finishing with 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting and four assists in 14 minutes off the bench.
The 25-year-old Japanese guard has spent much of the last two seasons on two-way deals, first with Memphis and then with Chicago. Since making his NBA debut for the Grizzlies in October 2024, he has played in 40 regular-season games, including 18 last season with the Bulls.
At the NBA level, though, the production has been limited. Kawamura has averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 assists in 7.6 minutes per game, shooting .341/.300/.857 for his career. His G League résumé has been much stronger: in 11 games for the Windy City Bulls last season, he averaged 18.7 points and 11.0 assists.
Before coming to the NBA, Kawamura was a star in Japan’s B.League, where he won MVP honors in 2022/23 and led the league in assists in 2023/24. He also linked up with Rui Hachimura on the Clippers this fall after the two had played together on the Japanese national team in World Cup qualifiers over the summer.
Kawamura was signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, which means he would be eligible for a $91K bonus if he chooses to join the G League and stays at least 60 days with the San Diego Clippers.
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