LA Clippers should now target Lakers player in free agency after James Harden’s contract extension

What James Harden’s two-year contract means for LA Clippers’ offseason

The Clippers have 12 players under contract for the 2025-26 season, including recently-drafted rookies Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Kobe Sanders, leaving them with three roster spots.

And despite Harden’s lucrative contract extension, Steve Ballmer’s team still has money to play with in the upcoming free agency period.

The Clippers are currently $22.4m below the dreaded first apron, and can open up another $4.8m in cap space by waiving Drew Eubanks.

This entitles them to the full $14.1m mid-level exemption, which could be spent on many different free agents in the coming weeks.

Perhaps the player who would help the Clippers the most could also arrive with the bonus of weakening the Lakers.

LA Clippers should target Lakers free agent Dorian Finney-Smith

Dorian Finney-Smith rejected his $15.4 million player option on Sunday, meaning he will soon become an unrestricted free agent.

This does not necessarily mean that he will leave the LA Lakers, but it does allow other teams to negotiate with him and his representatives.

While $15.4m seems a fair price for DFS, he probably rejected the option in favor of a longer-term contract.

So, the Clippers should now offer Finney-Smith their $14.1m exception on a multi-year deal in hopes of poaching him from the Lakers.

The 32-year-old is a solid three-point shooter and quality defender, who would complement Kawhi Leonard and James Harden nicely.

He could either replace Derrick Jones Jr. in the starting lineup or provide some much-needed size and strength off the bench.