The Clippers’ summer has already brought a sharp turn, and the biggest move of all points in one clear direction: a reset. After a disappointing finish to the 2025-26 campaign, Los Angeles has been reshaping the roster with rookie guard Keaton Wagler in mind, and that alone tells you how different this offseason feels.
The headline decision is the one tied to Kawhi Leonard. It’s never simple to move on from a player who left that kind of imprint in Los Angeles, but the Clippers made the call that fit the moment.
The trade still isn’t finalized because of the current investigation into the organization, yet if it does go through, it looks like the right time to pull the trigger. Leonard’s value was as high as it was going to get, and the return gave LA a real scorer in Brandon Ingram plus meaningful draft capital.
With Leonard, the Clippers weren’t headed anywhere major, and the franchise needed a new path.
That same summer has also brought a couple of smart, cost-effective keepers. Miller came back on a three-year, $15.3 million deal after averaging 10 points per game on 53 percent shooting last season.
The 26-year-old really settled in late, scoring in double figures in 17 of his final 23 games. Sanders also stayed put, agreeing to a four-year, $11.2 million contract.
Like Miller, he picked up his production in March and April, and after going 50th overall in 2025, he’s now carved out a real role. Those are the kind of deals front offices love to find.
But not everything has been solved. The center spot remains untouched, and that’s a problem.
Brook Lopez is still the starter, but at 38, it’s difficult to picture a strong season if his athleticism continues to fade. Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Isaiah Jackson give the Clippers some interesting options, but the depth behind Lopez is thin.
With limited financial flexibility, there may not be much help coming, which leaves Ty Lue with a tricky situation.
The other miss came in the Leonard trade itself. Yes, the Clippers landed Ingram and draft picks, but they didn’t get the kind of second young piece that could really change the outlook.
Gradey Dick is only 22, but his shooting struggles have dragged down his ceiling. The whole appeal with Dick was the perimeter shot that made Toronto take him 13th in the 2023 NBA draft, yet last season he hit just 30 percent from three.
A prospect like Collin Murray-Boyles or Ja'Kobe Walter would have fit better alongside Wagler, but LA ended up with a player whose upside looks limited. Toronto could have blocked the path to Murray-Boyles or Walter, but from the Clippers’ side, it was still a disappointing result.
In Other News...
One Young Clipper Left A Tough Summer League Question Behind
Summer League offered the Clippers a useful early look at a handful of young players, and the evaluation came with a little of everything. Keaton Wagler led the team in scoring, Nick Martinelli brought efficient shooting and rebounding, Baba Miller flashed athleticism and playmaking, and Kobe Sanders settled into a competent if unspectacular run. It was the kind of mixed summer that can still leave a front office with a few encouraging notes, even if none of the performances were complete answers.
Cam Christie, though, gave the group a different kind of read. His shooting and ball security never really found a rhythm, and he also missed the last three games with ankle soreness, which only added to the uncertainty around his summer. For a young player trying to carve out a place in the Clippers plans, that kind of uneven stretch can matter just as much as the box score. [Read more 🡒]
Clippers Face Another Kawhi Leonard Limbo As Camp Nears
The Clippers offseason has already been shaped by uncertainty around Kawhi Leonard, and it has only gotten messier as the league continues to sort through the trade paperwork. Los Angeles agreed to send Leonard to Toronto, but the deal has been put on hold, leaving the Clippers in a holding pattern while Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick also remain in limbo on the Raptors side. For a team trying to map out its roster and plan for the months ahead, the delay is more than a bureaucratic nuisance.
What makes this especially tricky for the Clippers is the way one unresolved transaction can ripple into everything else. Until the investigation is finished, front-office decisions stay tied to a trade that has not been fully cleared, and there is even the possibility of broader fallout if the leagues review leads to penalties. For now, the Clippers are left waiting on clarity, with a roster spot still available and a major move hanging over the rest of their offseason. [Read more 🡒]
Kawhi Leonard Drama Could Hang Over Clippers Far Longer Than Expected
The NBAs investigation into the Clippers handling of Kawhi Leonards contract is already shaping up to be more than a quick league-office matter. What makes it especially tricky is the timing: any ruling has to move through arbitration, and possibly appeals after that, which means the whole process could stretch well into the fall instead of wrapping up cleanly before camps open.
For Toronto, that delay matters because the Raptors are left planning around a trade that may not be fully settled by the time they start preparing for the season. John Hollinger pointed out that the timeline could run beyond two and a half months, leaving the club in an awkward holding pattern as it tries to sort out what its roster and rotation are supposed to look like. [Read more 🡒]