Free Agency for the LA Clippers is a Collaboration

The ego-free, team-first culture that has infused the LA Clippers with unprecedented energy and camaraderie both in the locker room and on the court, comes from the top.

Everyone knows about the big moves that have potentially changed the trajectory of the LA Clippers going forward.  Clippers’ consultant Jerry West, who, along with Lawrence Frank, appears to fans to be the man pulling off all those big moves, was typically gracious and generous in describing his part in the epic recruitment of Kawhi Leonard, saying his role was “very small.  I just had a voice.  Our front office is just really terrific, okay?  Lawrence Frank, Michael Winger, Trent Redden.  They were on top of this thing the whole way.”

West and Frank are household names to Clippers fans, but who are Michael Winger and Trent Redden?  An ecstatic and optimistic Clipper nation owes these unsung heroes a massive thank you.  As has been reported, both passed on potentially huge promotions to stay with the Clippers.

Michael Winger, an expert in salary cap knowledge, is the General Manager of the Clippers.  He began his NBA career with the Cleveland Cavaliers as director of basketball operations, moving to the Oklahoma City Thunder as assistant General Manager before joining the Clippers in 2017.  Earlier this year, Winger was offered an interview for the President of Basketball Operations position with the Minnesota Timberwolves, an opportunity that he turned down in favor of the Clippers.

Like Winger, Trent Redden, the Clippers Assistant General Manager, had a huge opportunity looming as he was on the short list of the New Orleans Pelicans to interview for their General Manager position.  Winger had worked with, and won a championship with, David Griffin, the Pelicans’ new President of Basketball Operations.  Redden turned down the opportunity for that promotion to stay with the Clippers, where he oversees amateur scouting.

Winger and Redden showed up in a big way in the Clippers’ successful free agency campaign.  Winger has said that there are three important components to NBA free agency — preparation, communication and relationships.  The three components are fine tuned for months before actual free agency begins, according to Winger.  Because of this, free agency is not quite as hectic on the inside as it appears to fans on the outside looking in.  “Very, very, very little of what we do is last-minute,” Winger said. “If anything that we do is last-minute, it’s because there were circumstances that popped up for which even the most thoughtful people probably could not have prepared.”

The preparation, selflessness, commitment and enthusiasm for the Clippers shown by the front office is contagious.  Led by the collaboration of West, Frank, Winger and Redden, the future of this team appears to be limitless.