The moment it happened, everyone but the Clippers themselves already knew it was a grave mistakeb to let Bennedict Mathurin walk out the door for nothing. Had he demanded a massive salary, we’d be having a different conversation. However, Mathurin literally settled for roughly $8 million annually with the New Orleans Pelicans. Surely the Clippers could’ve offered him that, and even added a bit on top.
Now, though, the Clippers can agree. Why? Because Mathurin made a statement in the Pelicans’ first preseason game. He posted 13 points, 5 assists, and 2 rebounds, shooting 3-for-5 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. In the process, the former lottery pick showed a strong presence on both ends of the floor and flashed signs of growth, indirectly letting LA know they should’ve held on when they had the chance.
What’s more, the Clippers could’ve benefited even more from Mathurin’s services at the start of the season, as Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Jordan Miller, Max Strus, and Jordan Miller are injured.
Letting Bennedict Mathurin walk away was the mistake of the summer for the LA Clippers
In no world was it ever a smart idea to part ways with a 24-year-old wing who is athletically inclined, understands how to put the ball in the net at the highest level, and has an All-Star ceiling. These qualities are simply too rare to find nowadays.
Bennedict Mathurin had countless impressive performances, including a 38-point night versus the Denver Nuggets, right in front of their very eyes, and the front office ultimately wanted nothing to do with him. Make it make sense.
With the New Orleans Pelicans, it’s practically inevitable that he'll rise to great heights. They also have a young environment and, on top of that, a strong support system: a smart head coach in Jamahl Mosley and an excellent developmental staff.
At the end of the day, the Clippers not keeping Mathurin will easily go down as the team’s biggest mistake of the summer.
That speaks volumes, primarily because the front office did a lot of questionable things. They re-signed Bradley Beal after he declined his player option, picked up the team option on Brook Lopez, and failed to acquire a competent backup power forward.
None of that is worse than how they handled business with Mathurin, and if they don’t realize it now, they definitely will early in the regular season.
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