6: Andre Miller
After improving their record to 39-43 during the 2001-02 season, the ninth-seeded Clippers sought to make a move that would catapult them into the playoff picture. They decided to trade for 25-year-old point guard Andre Miller, who had just come off a season where he led the league with 10.9 assists per game.
The expectation was that adding an elite passer to the established young core would result in a postseason trip, but the move ultimately ended up being a failure.
Andre Miller couldn’t meet expectations with the Clippers
Miller averaged just 6.7 assists the following season despite playing 36.4 minutes per game. He averaged only 13.6 points and shot a mere 40.6% from the field, the lowest mark of his career. The Clippers went 27-55 that following year, taking a step backward.
Miller left in free agency the next summer, signing with the Denver Nuggets. While he never broke out as a star, he remained a solid starting point guard for a number of seasons before transitioning to a bench role.
When all was said and done, Miller played 17 seasons in the NBA and currently ranks 12th all-time in assists.
While it’s hard to fault the Clippers’ front office at the time for not wanting to re-sign a player who had massively underperformed expectations, it still stings to see him average 14.5 points and 7.2 assists on just over 47% shooting throughout the next four years of his career.