Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The Los Angeles Clippers face pivotal offseason decisions following a crushing 126-121 play-in loss to the Golden State Warriors where they squandered a 13-point fourth-quarter lead.
- A veteran forward's future with the franchise hangs in the balance as the team contemplates whether to exercise his $5.9 million option or pursue younger talent.
- The Clippers must also address the uncertain status of an injury-plagued guard whose recurring health issues and limited availability complicate long-term planning.
The merciful thing about being a Los Angeles Clippers fan is this: Blown leads can't hurt you anymore. After the 2015 fiasco of blowing a 19-point second-half advantage to the Rockets, most other collapses feel tame in comparison. So Wednesday night's 126-121 loss to the Golden State Warriors in the 9-10 play-in game, featuring a blown 13-point fourth-quarter lead, was just par for the course. This is just what the Clippers do. The end of this season brings a familiar question: What will the Clippers do next?
LA has to decide what the future holds. Is it time to trade Kawhi Leonard? Is Darius Garland, who fouled out in the final minute, someone the team wants to build around? Answers to those questions are more earth-shaking than we could possibly guess at right now. Instead, we'll turn our attention to the roster moves Clippers fans can expect going into a new offseason.
Clippers should send Nicolas Batum off into the sunset
The Clippers have a team option for Batum worth $5.9 million. Given his lockerroom presence, a return isn't out of the question. There are two significant factors to consider.
First, Batum's age. He is 37 years old. He'll be 38 in December. After nearly 20 years in the NBA, it would be totally understandable if the Frenchman called it a career.
That's not to say he couldn't keep playing. During the regular season, he averaged more than 17 minutes per game, hitting 40 percent of his shots from the field and beyond the arc. He averaged 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists. He can clearly still do a job for a team. Still, Ty Lue didn't even ask him to do that with the Clippers' season on the line. Batum didn't play in the loss to the Warriors.
Which brings us to the second factor: Do the Clippers even want him? LA could look to get younger and use those funds on someone with more of a future with the team. Or they could swap Batum's presence for a veteran they can get on a minimum contract. It seems counterintuitive to pay a premium for a veteran who went unused in the biggest game of the season, especially on a night when Brook Lopez saw 37 minutes of action while going 1-of-6 from distance.
Bradley Beal can't be someone the Clippers bank on
Let's not beat around the bush on Bradley Beal. The currently-injured, 32-year-old guard is not exactly someone the Clippers can rely on going into next season. He played just six games before his campaign was ended by a fractured hip. That injury alone puts his future in question.
After undergoing surgery, it's not clear how long it will take for him to get back to full speed. His projected recovery timeline would have him available at the start of training camp. However, there's a difference between availability to practice and ability to impact a game. Will he recover NBA-level lateral quickness and burst? No one can say right now.
There's a universe where Beal comes back better than ever and teams up with Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland to lead the Clippers to the promised land. The likelihood of that universe being this universe is low.
Let's take a walk down injury lane. Beal hasn't played in more than 53 games since 2021, his last All-Star season. He's been sidelined by soft-tissue injuries like multiple hamstring, calf and ankle strains and sprains.. He's dealt with recurring back issues. Even if he shows some of his old form, he's just as likely to pick up one of those familiar ailments and miss more time.
The Clippers are already managing injury-prone stars like Leonard and Garland. Putting any eggs in the Beal basket is simply too risky.
So what can they do? It's a foregone conclusion Beal will take his $5.6 million player option. With that kind of salary, the Clippers could trade his expiring contract without much issue. Let some other team take the gamble on how he performs when he's fully healthy.
The timing is right to move on from Kris Dunn
If Kris Dunn wanted to make his value to the Clippers clear, he could have put up more of a fight against the Warriors.
Dunn is a defensive specialist. He's on the court to slow down players like Steph Curry. Yet he was a major part of a defense that let the 38-year-old drop 35 in a do-or-die effort.
The defensive outing would have been more forgivable if Dunn wasn't such an offensive non-factor. He had seven points in 32 minutes on the floor. His minus-nine rating was tied for the lowest of the night alongside Darius Garland. His 10 assists clearly didn't make up for it.
Dunn's salary for 2026-27 isn't guaranteed, so the Clippers can cut ties without financial penalty this offseason. His exit could open the door for someone like Kobe Sanders to expand his role.
Sanders only saw 11 minutes on Wednesday night, but he delivered a triple to break a team-wide dry spell from distance along with three assists. There's enough promise there to put more faith in him going forward.
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