The Clippers’ offseason has turned into a full-scale reset, and the biggest names from the old core are already out the door.
After a first-round playoff exit, Los Angeles entered the summer with real questions about where the roster was headed. That became even clearer once the team used the No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft on Keaton Wagler, a move that pointed toward a younger build and away from the Kawhi Leonard era. Leonard has now been traded to the Toronto Raptors, and the Clippers have officially moved into a new phase.
It’s not just Leonard, either. This calendar year has already seen Los Angeles send out Ivica Zubac, Kobe Brown, and James Harden as part of separate deals, all of them tied to the same bigger shift: getting younger and collecting more future value.
Here’s what the Clippers brought back across those moves:
- Darius Garland
- Bennedict Mathurin
- Isaiah Jackson
- Brandon Ingram
- Gradey Dick
- 4 first-round picks: 2026 first-round pick (Keaton Wagler, IND), 2029 first-round pick (IND), 2031 first-round pick (TOR), 2033 first-round pick (TOR)
- 2027 first-round pick swap (TOR)
- 4 second-round picks: 2026 second-round pick (Narcisse Ngoy, CLE), 2028 second-round pick (DAL), 2030 second-round pick (TOR), 2033 second-round pick (TOR)
Harden’s exit brought back Darius Garland and a second-round pick, and that deal gives Los Angeles a new lead guard to build around. Garland is now positioned as the Clippers’ point guard of the future, and the appeal is obvious: he can score, he can create, and he can run an offense. Last season, even while dealing with pre-existing injuries, he played in 45 games and averaged 18.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 46.0% from the field and 39.6% from three.
That second-round pick turned into Narcisse Ngoy, a French forward who may not have been on many scouting radars, but did post 10.7 points, 11.7 rebounds, and 2.7 blocks per game in the second division of France’s professional league.
The Leonard trade delivered the biggest pile of assets. Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick arrived along with two first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-round picks, giving the Clippers a much deeper stash of future pieces.
Ingram, 28, is coming off averages of 21.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 3.7 assists on 47.7% shooting from the field and 38.2% from deep. He looks like the kind of player who can immediately take on a major scoring role.
Dick, meanwhile, gives the Clippers another young wing option. The 22-year-old averaged 6.0 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 0.7 assists last season while shooting 41.9% from the field and 30.1% from three, but there’s still belief he can turn things around in a different setting.
The hardest loss for some Clippers fans may be Zubac. His departure brought back Bennedict Mathurin and the pick used on Wagler, but it still stung.
Zubac had been one of the steadiest players on the roster, finishing last season with averages of 14.1 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 0.8 blocks per game. Mathurin added another young backcourt piece, coming in with 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.
For all the movement, the shape of the roster is pretty clear now. Los Angeles has added serious young talent, especially in the backcourt, but the frontcourt still needs attention.
The Clippers have already made the hard calls. Now comes the part where they have to make the new direction work.
In Other News...
Clippers Quietly Locked In A Young Wing Fans Should Notice
While much of the offseason buzz around Los Angeles is centered on the Lakers and their search for frontcourt help, the Clippers made a quieter move that still matters for their own wing rotation. The team has agreed to a four-year deal with restricted free agent Kobe Sanders, a young wing who has already shown enough promise to earn a longer look after beginning his career on a two-way contract.
Sanders rookie season offered a glimpse of why the Clippers wanted to keep him in the fold. He averaged 7.3 points and shot better than 40 percent from three, production that fits neatly with a roster always looking for cost-controlled depth on the perimeter. For a team trying to stay ahead of roster churn in a crowded market, locking in a young wing like Sanders is the sort of move that can look more important later than it does on the day it is announced. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Fans May Not Like Where This John Collins Situation Is Going
John Collins has given the Clippers exactly the kind of frontcourt versatility they tend to covet: enough shooting to stretch the floor, enough athleticism to finish plays, and enough defensive ability to make him more than just a spacer. That is why the team is interested in bringing him back after his latest run, with his blend of size and skill fitting neatly into what L.A. wants around its core.
The problem is that Collins is not a simple retain, because the market is expected to push hard in a way the Clippers may not love. If the price climbs beyond what L.A. is comfortable matching, the team could be left trying to replace a player whose impact is not easy to duplicate, especially in a frontcourt that already depends on functional, two-way pieces. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Rumored Kawhi Preference Could Define Their Next Era
Brandon Ingram has emerged as a name worth watching in the Clippers thinking as they consider how to reshape the roster around a potential Kawhi Leonard move. The fit is easy to see on paper: Ingram brings a smooth scoring game, size on the wing and the kind of offensive versatility that could slide into a team trying to stay competitive while leaning younger and more flexible.
The appeal also says something about the direction this next phase could take, with draft capital and at least one young piece likely part of the conversation if the Clippers decide to get serious. There are still other paths they could explore, but the fact that Ingram keeps surfacing suggests the front office may be looking for a more polished return than a simple reset, and that choice could shape the franchise's next era. [Read more 🡒]