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Clippers face plenty of questions after a strange season

April 16, 2026

INGLEWOOD — The Clippers were never going to be NBA champions this season, a fact made clear over the past four weeks when they couldn’t win the games that mattered.

Yes, they lost to San Antonio twice and Oklahoma City once during an 8-8 finish to the regular season, but most of the league has had trouble beating those title contenders. Losing to Portland (42-40) twice in an 11-day stretch, when either win would have helped secure a valuable head-to-head tiebreaker, proved costly. The Clippers (42-40) also lost to New Orleans (26-56) twice and Sacramento (22-60) once during a wobbly final month and won just three of their final seven regular-season games.

Their 126-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors in a Play-In game on Wednesday night, a team that had more injuries and fewer victories (37) than the Clippers, further showed they were not a contender. The Clippers salvaged their season by following their chaotic 6-21 start with a 36-19 finish – the fourth-best record in the Western Conference over that span – but they squandered a 13-point lead on their home court in the final 10 minutes on Wednesday.

All of which leaves the Clippers with a mound of questions heading into the offseason, starting with seven-time All-Star Kawhi Leonard, who has been the face of the franchise for the past six seasons. He is coming off one of the best seasons of his career, having averaged 27.9 points on 50.5% shooting to go with 6.4 rebounds and 3.6 assists, but he has been rumored to be a trade piece.

Whether Leonard has played his last game for the Clippers could depend on the NBA Draft Lottery on May 10. That’s when the Clippers will find out how the lottery affects one of the draft picks they get from the Indiana Pacers (acquired in the trade that sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana for Benedict Mathurin). The Clippers would have the No. 5 or No. 6 pick in this year’s draft if the Pacers’ first-rounder falls outside of the top four. There is a 27.8% and 20.1% chance that could happen, respectively.

If he stays, Leonard, who turns 35 in June, will enter the final year of a three-year $149.5 million contract extension that he signed in January 2024. He is on the books for $50.3 million next season, and the Clippers can extend his contract for two additional seasons (with a maximum offer of $126.1 million) once the NBA Finals end.

But the Clippers’ on-court leader was not in any mood to discuss his future after Wednesday’s season-ending loss.

“Let me cry about this loss a little bit more,” Leonard said. “We’re gonna have our discussions when that time comes.”

There’s also the Aspiration investigation that continues to loom over the organization. The ongoing probe, which is in the hands of the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, is looking at Leonard’s endorsement contract with the green financing company. There is no expectation that his contract will be voided.

“I think that we’re going to be in the clear, like I told you before,” Leonard said. “So, I’m not stressing it.”

In addition to Leonard, the Clippers have Darius Garland, Derrick Jones Jr., Isaiah Jackson and Yanic Konan Niederhauser returning as the team looks to build for the future.

The Clippers face decisions with a handful of other players.

John Collins exercised his player option heading into this season and is now an unrestricted free agent, who is expected to attract several offers. With the trade of Zubac and injuries to the two backup centers, Collins was pegged as the post player on the second unit late in the season.

Bennedict Mathurin is one of four restricted free agents the Clippers have this summer and the only one expected to receive a qualifying offer. He made an impact quickly after being acquired from the Pacers, scoring more than 20 points in five consecutive games.

He said after Wednesday’s loss that he would like to return to the Clippers but understands this is “a business.”

The Clippers have “Bird rights” on both Collins and Mathurin.

The other three restricted free agents are two-way players Sean Pedulla, Norchad Omier and TyTy Washington.

Jones is entering the final year of a three-year contract he signed in 2024, and the Clippers are expected to retain the forward, who averaged 10.1 points and 3.5 rebounds this season.

Veteran guard Bradley Beal has a player option for $5.6 million for next season that he is expected to exercise after he missed nearly all of this season after season-ending hip surgery.

The Clippers hold team options on Kris Dunn ($5.6 million), Bogdan Bogdanovic ($16 million), Jordan Miller ($2.4 million), Kobe Sanders ($2.2 million), Brook Lopez ($9.1 million) and Nicolas Batum ($5.9 million) and have until late June to decide whether to bring them back.

The Clippers are expected to keep Dunn, whose non-guaranteed contract will be fully guaranteed if he makes All-Defensive First or Second Team this season. He is considered one of the best backcourt defenders in the league, averaging 1.6 steals (fourth in the league). After the NBA Finals end, Dunn is eligible to sign up to a four-year, $92.8 million extension.

Bogdanovic, who saw his minutes fall off drastically this season, isn’t expected to return, while Lopez’s and Batum’s options are up in the air.

Sanders and Miller are almost assured to have their options picked up as the team focuses on youth.

Orange County Register

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Clippers face plenty of questions after a strange season

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