Clippers Offseason Primer: Free Agents, Draft Capital, Salary Cap Space, Trades

The Los Angeles Clippers will be watching the 2026 NBA Playoffs from their couch. Despite a miraculous turnaround, the Clippers weren't able to clinch a spot in the playoffs, much to the disappointment of the fans and the organization. Now, the franchise is at an inflection point. They have to decide whether they are going to try to contend with Kawhi Leonard and Darius Garland, or take a step back and go the rebuilding route.

Regardless of the direction they choose, the Clippers have the flexibility and assets to execute their vision. Armed with some cap space and draft capital, the Clippers have fascinating decisions to make in the offseason.

Draft Picks

The Clippers may or may not have a first-round pick in this year's draft, as their fate is entirely in the hands of draft lottery gods. They owe their own pick (No. 12) to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but may receive Indiana's first-rounder as part of the Ivica Zubac trade. The pick is top-four protected, and the Pacers have a 52.1% chance of keeping the pick. If it falls to five or six, which has a 47.9% chance of happening, the Clippers will receive the pick.

Whether the Clippers get that pick will be determined at the NBA Draft Lottery on May 10.

In addition, the Clippers have two second-round picks, No. 36 from the Grizzlies and No. 53 from the Cavaliers.

Clippers Free Agents

John Collins (unrestricted)
Bennedict Mathurin (restricted)

There are also five more players who the Clippers have team options on:

Jordan Miller ($2.4 million)
Kobe Sanders ($2.2 million)
Nicolas Batum ($5.9 million)
Brook Lopez ($9.1 million)
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($16 million)

By not exercising their options, the Clippers would make these players unrestricted free agents. It would also help them open up significantly more cap space.

Salary Cap

The Clippers currently have $39 million in cap space below the luxury tax line. But the Clippers can create even more cap space by letting the likes of Bogdanovic, Lopez, and Batum leave. Not exercising Bogdanovic's team option alone would allow the Clippers to have max cap space. The departures of all three would give the Clippers $70 million in cap space.

Re-signing Collins and Mathurin will take up a good chunk of this space, but the Clippers would still be able to be active in free agency.

Likely Departures

For the reasons mentioned above, the Clippers will have to say goodbye to a few veterans. Bogdanovic is probably the most likely departure candidate. He was already out of the rotation for most of the season, and the Clippers would much rather use his salary slot elsewhere.

Due to his age and salary for next season, Lopez could also be gone. The Clippers will almost certainly bring in a quality starter at center, and paying Lopez $9 million to be a backup may not be the best use of resources.

Since they are free agents, Mathurin and Collins are obvious departure candidates, as well. Both players have expressed a desire to stay in LA for next season and beyond, but this will depend on their price tag. There should be mutual interest between Collins and the Clippers, as the team doesn't have another power forward on the roster.

Mathurin's future will depend on how interested the rest of the league is in him. He is a restricted free agent, so the Clippers can match any offers, but how willing they will be to give him a lucrative, long-term deal remains to be seen.

Potential Free Agent Targets

The Clippers have the ability to be active on the free agent market. They have obvious needs, most notably at center, but could also use more shooting and playmaking on the perimeter. Since they can create as much cap space as they need, the Clippers could pursue any free agent. Here are some options that make sense for the Clippers, especially in the scenario in which Kawhi Leonard stays.

Names will come off the market, but new players will become available. The Clippers will also have the option to be aggressive on the trade market thanks to their ability to take back more salary than they give out in any deals. What they do with this flexibility and assets will be one of the most fascinating storylines of the summer.