Hoops Rumors examines the 2026 offseason for all 30 NBA teams, recapping the summer’s free agent signings, trades, draft picks, departures and more. We’ll take a look at each team’s moves in the offseason and take a look at what else could happen before the regular season begins. Today we focus on Los Angeles Clippers.
Signing free agents
- Rui Hachimura: Two years, $28,000,000. Sophomore team option. Signed using the mid-level non-taxpayer exemption.
- Jordan Miller: Three years, $15,300,000. Second year without warranty. Third-year team option. Includes trade kicker (3%). Rewritten using the rights of Bird.
- Bradley Beal: Two years, $13,170,840. Second-year player option (partially guaranteed for $3,373,020). Includes trade kicker (15%). Re-signed using non-Bird rights.
- Kobe Sanders: Four years, $11,279,212. Third year without warranty. Fourth-year team option. Re-signed using non-Bird rights.
- Yuki Kawamura: Year, minimum wage. Not guaranteed (app. 9/10). Signed using the minimum wage exemption.
Trades
- Acquired rights to the project Narcissus Ngoi (pick #57) and cash ($1.5 million) from the Hawks in exchange for draft picks Henri Veesaar (Choice #52).
- Acquired rights to the project Nick Martinelli (Pick #55) from the Rockets in exchange for cash ($1,964,000).
- Acquired the Pistons’ 2030 second-round pick (top-55 protected) from the Pistons in a six-team trade in exchange for John Collins (sign-and-trade; Pistons) and cash ($1.1 million; Bucks).
- Purchased of John Broome and a “second most valuable” 2027 second-round pick from the Sixers in exchange for cash ($1 million).
- Purchased Max Strus from the Cavaliers in a five-team trade in exchange for the “second most favorable” 2027 second-round pick (to the Wizards) and draft rights Ishmael Kamagate (to the gentlemen).
- Purchased Brandon Ingram, Grady DickRaptors 2031 first round pick, Raptors 2033 pick, Raptors 2030 pick, Raptors 2033 pick and Raptors 2027 first round pick in exchange for Kawhi Leonard.
Drafts
- 1-5: Keaton Wagler
- Signed rookie contract (four years, $43,958,323). The first two years with a guarantee. Third and fourth year team options.
- 2-36: Dad Miller
- Signed to a four-year, $9,612,515 contract with the use of the second-round exception. The first two years with a guarantee. Third year without warranty. Fourth-year team option.
- 2-55: Nick Martinelli
- A bilateral contract was signed.
- 2-57: Narcissus Ngoi
- Will play college basketball at Auburn.
Two-sided signatures
- Nick Martinelli
- Two years, $91,000 partially guaranteed (will increase to $339,441 at the start of the regular season).
- Second non-guaranteed year (will increase to maximum two-way protection on June 29, 2027 and up to 50% at start of regular season).
- Jalen Pickett
- Two years, $91,000 partially guaranteed (will increase to $339,441 at the start of the regular season); withsecond year without warranty.
- Jamarion Sharpe
- Two years, $91,000 partially guaranteed (will increase to $339,441 at the start of the regular season); withsecond year without warranty.
Abandoned/Unsigned Free Agents
Other moves are listed
Salary cap situation
Note: Numbers are rounded to one decimal place.
- Operating above the cap ($165 million) and below the first tax bracket ($209 million).
- A hard hat on the first apron.
- Team salary: $185.4 million (tax/apron).
- Below the luxury tax line by $15.1 million; below the hard cap of $23.7 million.
- A partial exemption is available for middle-income nontaxpayers ($1 million) and a full biennial exemption ($5.5 million).
- Five tradeable player exceptions are available (the largest at $3.2 million).
Offseason yet
Ahead of the February deadline, the Clippers said they are open to overhauling their roster by making a trade James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland and a second-round pick and then shipping Ivitsa Zubak and Kobe Brown to Indiana for Benedict Maturin, Isaiah Jacksonfirst-round picks in 2026 and 2029 and a second-rounder in 2028.
That 2026 first-round pick was protected in the top four, and the Pacers lost what amounted to a coin flip in the draft lottery, landing the pick at No. 5, just outside the protected range. The Clippers have added a promising young guard Keaton Wagler with that pick and hope the former Illinois star can be a long-term cornerstone.
In his lone season with the Illini, Wagler showed plenty of promise, averaging 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists on .445/.397/.796 shooting in 37 games (33.9 minutes per game). The 19-year-old, who won multiple awards as a freshman, helped lead Illinois to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.
While Los Angeles decided not to move the star forward Kawhi Leonard In February, he reportedly pushed for a trade this summer after the team made it clear they didn’t want to extend his contract. The Raptors, on the other hand, were interested in a longer-term deal for Leonard and agreed to trade Brandon Ingram, Grady Dicktwo first-round picks, one first-round trade, and two second-rounders to the Clippers to acquire him.
However, Toronto decided to hold off on the blockbuster trade because the Clippers are still under investigation after allegations they skirted the salary cap to pay Leonard through “no-show” endorsement deals. The Raptors were waiting to see if Leonard would be punished as part of that deal, as that would affect the deal.
Although Leonard was punished – he was fined 700,000 dollars — his penalty paled in comparison to the hammer that was dropped on the Clippers. The investigation, led by a third-party law firm, found abundant circumstantial evidence that the team initiated a series of deals to support the 35-year-old forward with the intention of circumventing the cap.
The Clippers forfeited five first-round picks — including the first in 2029 they acquired from Indiana — and were fined $30 million as part of the NBA’s penalty. The owner Steve Ballmer and President of Business Operations Jillian Zucker were suspended from all team activities for a year while they served as president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank out of service for six months.
The Clippers organization and staff will also be on probation for the next five years. During that time, they will be “subject to a compliance and monitoring program under the supervision of the league office,” according to the league.
While Ballmer and the Clippers initially pounced in the league for her decision, Ballmer has since said he will to accept punishment even if he disagrees with some of the findings in the report. It should be noted that the command is still subject to a A Justice Department investigation as a result of the relationship with Leonard.
Ballmer’s compliance eventually cleared the way for the trade to go through, and the deal went through finalized last week, two and a half months after terms were initially agreed.
Obviously, the NBA investigation and the Leonard trade were the main storylines of the Clippers’ offseason. But they’ve been busy rebuilding their roster while they wait for the league’s investigation to conclude.
In addition to Wagler, Clips is added Dad Miller (36th overall pick), Nick Martinelli (55th) and Narcissus Ngoi (57th) in the June draft. Miller signed a four-year standard deal and Martinelli to a two-way deal, while French big man Ngoi reportedly plans to play for Auburn this season — essentially making him an internal draft-and-keep prospect if that happens.
The Clippers re-signed the contract Jordan Miller and Kobe Sanders to relatively team-friendly contracts in restricted free agency, but decided to let Maturin walk away, withdrawing their qualifying offer to let him sign a two-year, $15.4 million deal with New Orleans.
Security veteran Bradley Beal was also re-signed. The terms were a bit of a surprise considering the 33-year-old missed virtually all of last season with a hip injury and was ineffective in his six appearances — receiving a two-year, $13.2 million deal while exercising his non-Bird rights.
Other new additions include Rui Hachimura ($28 million over two years of free agency), Max Strus (via trade; the Clippers effectively gave up a second-round pick to acquire him) and of John Broome (also via trade; the Clippers added a second-rounder to the deal).
Next
The harsh punishment handed down by the league will hang over the Clippers for the foreseeable future. But in the short term, they have to figure out who will make the regular season lineup.
As of Sunday, the Clippers have 16 players under guaranteed contracts Cam Christie on a non-guaranteed transaction and Yuki Kawamura according to Appendix 10 of the training camp contract. Those two seem most likely to be scrapped before the start of the season, with Broome possibly the last on the list.
The Clippers are also a candidate for a deal or two to solve the roster problem, but Broome only owes $2.15 million in guaranteed money and the team is in decent financial shape. Los Angeles could easily eat up that relatively small salary and do other things.
With $15.1 million in cap space below the luxury tax limit and several players on expiring or pseudo-expiring contracts, the Clippers’ roster could look significantly different after February’s trade deadline.
Notable players eligible for the extension include Strus, Dick, Derrick Jones Jr and Chris Dunn. Dick’s eligibility closes on Oct. 19, while the other three remain eligible until June 30, 2027. I wouldn’t be surprised if none of them get new deals before the season starts.
While Wagler and Garland look like long-term pieces in Los Angeles, the overall direction of the team is murky with plenty of players on short-term deals. The Clippers could have a cap hit in 2027 depending on whether Ingram exercises his $41.9 million player option for 2027/2028. Of course, that assumes he’ll still be on the roster by this point, which is far from a lock.
Luke Adams contributed to this article
