The 2026 offseason has been an interesting one for the Los Angeles Clippers . Despite the ongoing investigation into Kawhi Leonard 's salary cap scandal, L.A. was inclined to embrace a rebuild, even offloading their superstar for young talent and draft capital. Now, with the penalty for cap circumvention leaving the team vulnerable, however, the outlook appears bleak.
The NBA penalized the Clippers severely , handing out fines and suspensions to the involved parties. Still, with the franchise docked five first-round picks in the process, Los Angeles has effectively lost any chance of adding new talent through the draft .
Needless to say, this is a harrowing situation for any franchise. Despite this, former NBA player Thaddeus Young is optimistic about the Clippers' position. He explained why L.A. still has good reason to be hopeful during his appearance on " To The Baha ," stating:
"Even though they lost five picks, they're still not in a bad position because they made three trades before this actually happened. Which makes me believe they also knew something was coming."
"The first trade was Harden for Garland, right? The second trade was Zubac, right? The third trade was Kawhi. You got Toronto's picks; you got picks for Zubac, right? And players. You got Garland, which is a pretty good f—ing point guard, right? 10 years younger than Harden. So essentially, you're saying, 'Hey, I got to go ahead and set my team up for these next couple years just to be decent.'"
Young made an interesting observation about the Clippers' transactions before the penalties were dealt. Before the trade deadline, L.A. made two noteworthy moves by trading James Harden to the Cavaliers for Darius Garland and Ivica Zubac to the Pacers for picks and player assets.
Although recent updates concerning the punishment indicate that L.A. will not retain the 2029 first-round pick they received from Indiana , L.A. acquired a 26-year-old star in Garland and other notable young players like Bennedict Mathurin .
Mathurin isn't part of the core anymore since he signed a new deal with the New Orleans Pelicans . However, given that the 2026 first-round pick from Indiana allowed the Clippers to draft Keaton Wagler , the franchise certainly reaped some benefits despite their unfortunate circumstances.
Even though the Clippers' draft assets have been substantially reduced, Thaddeus Young made a solid point by noting the roster's age and potential when he added:
"When you look at their roster, their team ain't bad. It's actually pretty decent. And you save yourself a bunch of money. Your two stars make $40 million… Then you have guys who come off the books after this season. So, you get yourself another $30, $40 million off your books, right?"
"And you're looking at the two young, essentially stars, Garland and Ingram, right, that were All-Stars… These guys are still technically in their prime. Therefore, you monitor this situation for the next couple of years because they might be a part of the future, right? Then you take the guys who are solid veterans on your team, and for another team that needs veterans, they might be willing to make some trades."
Interestingly, Young effectively laid out the ideal course of action for the Clippers over the next few years.
For starters, Brandon Ingram 's arrival in the trade with the Raptors will ensure L.A. regains some draft assets, too. Now, with a superstar duo of Ingram and Garland, the Clippers have something to build on.
At this stage, if recovering losses remains a priority, Young suggested that Los Angeles could always offload these players for draft assets . With no restrictions on trades, the franchise can seek alternative paths to rebuilding its draft capital.
As Brian Windhorst mentioned, cooperation and good behavior may also help the Clippers regain some of their lost picks , though this seems less likely given L.A.'s aggressive response to the NBA . Still, all things considered, there appears to be a silver lining.
Oddly enough, this could be a clean slate for the Clippers. With considerable money coming off the books next summer, L.A. could become a hot spot for free agent activity. Hence, with several avenues in front of them, it will be intriguing to see how the franchise bounces back.
