Can Los Angeles Clippers salvage what is expected to be a nightmare season?

The Los Angeles Clippers will finally get on the court to open the 2026-27 NBA season, after an eventful offseason.

The Clippers will host the Sacramento Kings at the Intuit Dome in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Advertisement

While there’s a lot of uncertainty regarding what this season will look like for the Clippers, it raises the question: can the team salvage what is expected to be a nightmare season?

The organization appears to have fallen on hard times, having been a consistent playoff-contending team to one that likely will drop near the bottom of the Western Conference as a result of its offseason.

The league announced disciplinary action against the team in early September after an external law firm completed enough of its investigation and shared its findings with league commissioner Adam Silver.

The Clippers were fined $30 million and were told to forfeit five first-round draft picks (2029–2033). Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and two of the team’s executives were also suspended.

Advertisement

The Clippers also used the offseason to create a younger roster. The team traded Kawhi Leonard and moved on from Nicolas Batum (37) in free agency, while adding players such as Brandon Ingram (29) and Gradey Dick (22). The Clippers were one of the oldest teams in the league, with an average age of 33.2 years last season.

Ingram will not be available for the season opener, leaving coach Tyronn Lue with the task of figuring out how to get the most out of this team.

“We put in a lot of stuff offensively to see what works for this team and see what will stick and we scrapped a lot of it already,” Lue said. “We are just trying to see what works with this team. 

“We have some new players and guys in new positions, so we are just trying to see what works.”

Advertisement

In the first game, Lue wants to get a better idea of what his team is good at and what he can still work on.

Figuring out what can work well could go a long way in determining how this season will play out.

1 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

More: Los Angeles Clippers season preview: Lineup, roster and prediction

Can Clippers salvage nightmare season?

The Clippers won’t have the manpower needed to put together a championship run. If the team struggles this season, it might not necessarily mean they have a favorable draft pick to look forward to either. 

The Oklahoma City Thunder maintain favorable control over the Clippers’ first-round pick as part of a previous trade.

Advertisement

Instead, the Clippers can look to produce a solid product in order to increase the trade value for some of its players while working some of its younger players into the rotation and gaining experience.

Predicting 2026-27 Clippers’ season

USA Today projects the Clippers will finish near the bottom of the Western Conference with a 31-51 record.

  • Record last season: 42-40 (9th in Western Conference)

  • Playoff finish: Did not qualify

  • Coach: Tyronn Lue (seventh season)

  • 2026-27 title odds: +75000 (per BetMGM)

Key roster additions

  • G Keaton Wagler (draft pick)

  • F Baba Miller (draft pick)

  • F Rui Hachimura (free agency)

  • F Nick Martinelli (traded)

Key roster losses

  • F Nicolas Batum (free agency)

  • G Bogdan Bogdanović (free agency)

  • F/C John Collins (free agency)

1 / 50

Jokić, Shai or Wemby? Ranking the NBA’s 50 best players

1. Shai Gilgeous Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder

(Alonzo Adams, Imagn Images)

Clippers injury report

The L.A. Clippers have at least five players who were ruled out for the season opener against the Kings on Wednesday.

OUT:

Brandon Ingram – Right Heel Surgery

Jordan Miller – Left Rotator Cuff Surgery

Advertisement

Yanic Konan Niederhäuser– Right Lisfranc Surgery

Max Strus – Right Plantar Fascia Partial Tear

Bradley Beal – Right Knee Injury Management 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can Los Angeles Clippers salvage what is expected to be a nightmare season?

Leave a Comment