The LA Clippers’ Lawrence Frank was named Executive of the Year.
The LA Clippers President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank has been named the 2019-20 NBA Executive of the Year.
The NBA announced the award today, citing Frank’s work to add both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George during the summer of 2019. Frank also was able to help engineer a trade for Marcus Morris Sr. and also added Reggie Jackson at the trade deadline.
Per a release from the team, owner Steve Ballmer had this to say:
"“L is a passionate, dedicated, and selfless leader. I am proud of the work he and his group are doing and thrilled his peers feel the same way. This award is a great tribute to the hard work done by the entire front office, including our General Manager Michael Winger, Assistant GMs Mark Hughes and Trent Redden, and consultant Jerry West. Together, they have worked to develop every facet of our basketball operations department.”"
This is Frank’s first time winning the award. Last season, he finished third in voting behind the Denver Nuggets’ Tim Connelly and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Jon Horst. He moved to the front office at the request of Doc Rivers in 2016 and has been excellent in the role ever since. Most casual fans give the team’s personnel success credit to Jerry West which makes sense given his stature in the league but Frank has been an instrumental part of the team’s success.
This award is great to see and Frank will have to continue showing he is a worthy recipient as he begins to help the team look for their next head coach after they let Doc Rivers go. They will also have to make a few roster tweaks including evaluating whether or not to keep free agents such as Marcus Morris, JaMychal Green, and Montrezl Harrell.
The LA Clippers have assembled a great front office and as the team continues to find ways to improve, it’s reassuring to know that they are in good hands.