The Clippers may be flirting with a Bennedict Mathurin sign-and-trade, but that’s the kind of move that could leave them short where it matters most.
Los Angeles, according to Jake Fischer of The Stein Line, is weighing the possibility of sending Mathurin elsewhere in a sign-and-trade scenario. Fischer reported that while the Clippers hope to keep him, they would be open to a deal that moves him on, similar to Denver’s situation with Payton Watson.
That would be a risky call for a team that already needs more juice from its second unit.
Mathurin brings exactly the kind of bench production that’s hard to replace. He scores with force, gets pressure at the rim, and draws fouls at a strong rate. Those are not common traits, and they matter even more because he’s only 23 years old.
The Clippers’ current bench picture makes the case even clearer. Kris Dunn gives them defense, Kobe Sanders brings three-point shooting, and Jordan Miller fills a scoring role, but none of them offer the kind of nightly offensive punch Mathurin can provide. He’s the sort of player who can come off the bench and look like the best scorer on the floor.
That was part of the appeal after the deadline, when Mathurin posted 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 26 games for LA. He also had a 38-point game against the Denver Nuggets and added 23 points in the play-in tournament while trying to keep the season alive.
For the Clippers, that kind of production is not easy to let walk away. Mathurin was a key part of the Ivica Zubac trade to the Indiana Pacers, and the feeling here is straightforward: he’s too valuable to treat like a movable piece.
If Los Angeles does move him, Tyronn Lue’s second unit could feel the loss immediately, especially on the scoring end. And with Mathurin still developing on both sides of the ball, the Clippers may be looking at a player who could grow into one of their next All-Stars.
In Other News...
Clippers Fans Suddenly Have A Wild Reason To Root For LeBron
LeBron James landing in Philadelphia changes the conversation for the Eastern Conference in a hurry, and it gives the 76ers a star-powered core that already looked dangerous with Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and Tyrese Maxey in place. For the Clippers, the ripple effect is less about the East itself and more about what a powerhouse in Philadelphia could mean for the assets they still have tied to other teams fortunes.
Los Angeles has a real reason to keep one eye on the standings outside its own race, because the value of future draft capital can swing quickly when the teams connected to those picks start winning or losing at the wrong time. If the 76ers become the kind of juggernaut this move suggests, the Clippers could find themselves rooting for a very specific kind of chaos elsewhere, even if it comes from an unlikely source. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Just Turned Up The Pressure In Clippers Peyton Watson Chase
The latest twist in Denvers offseason has a ripple effect the Clippers will be watching closely. Restricted free agent Spencer Jones has agreed to a two-year, $12 million offer sheet with the Thunder, putting the Nuggets in a familiar bind as they weigh whether to keep another young piece in the fold while also managing the larger financial picture around their roster.
For the Clippers, the real intrigue is how this squeezes the Nuggets flexibility in the Peyton Watson chase. Matching Jones would tighten Denvers cap math and make a lucrative Watson deal harder to navigate, which is exactly the kind of pressure point rival teams monitor this time of year. The Nuggets have until Sunday night to decide, and the outcome could shape more than one contract conversation in the Western Conference. [Read more 🡒]