The Los Angeles Clippers have been through a lot in the past...56 years, little of it good. Finally, something is going their way.
The decision to trade two-way center Ivica Zubac at February's trade deadline was a controversial one, but it has turned out to be a coup for the Clippers. Not only is a future first still waiting to be delivered, and intriguing wing Bennedict Mathurin a strong candidate to stick around, but the Clippers landed the No. 5 pick.
A pick they just used on future star Keaton Wagler.
The trade could not have worked out better
There was certainly no guarantee that the trade would work out this well for the Clippers. The deal was a unique one, where the Clippers landed the Indiana Pacers' 2026 draft pick only if it landed between picks five and nine. If it was a Top-4 pick, the Pacers kept it and the Clippers got a future first. If it fell to 10, the same thing happened.
The NBA Draft Lottery came through for the Clippers, however, and a team that has locked itself out of the NBA Draft for many years put itself in position to draft a difference-maker for the first time since they used the No. 1 overall pick on Blake Griffin and kicked off the Lob City era.
A new era may now be coming, and it's largely thanks to this trade. The specter of the NBA's investigation into Aspiration and LA's potential cap-circumvention is hanging over them, but fans can cling to the joy of something going their way for once.
Armed with that pick, the Clippers made the most of it on draft night.
Keaton Wagler is a future star
Keaton Wagler came out of nowhere to dominate the Big 10 as a freshman. An afterthought of a recruit, the 6'5" Wagler broke through into the starting lineup for a team that made the Final Four. His meteoric rise took him all the way to the No. 5 pick.
Wagler is a deliberate assassin, eschewing athletic rim attacks with slow controlled drives that put defenses on their heels. He gets to his spots at will and has an array of crafty finishes. Add in his absolutely elite shooting and you have a lethal offensive player. And at 6'5" he has enough size not to be killed defensively.
Using the pick on a guard with size allows the Clippers to more credibly pair him with Darius Garland in the backcourt, a former All-Star point guard who is small but incredibly talented. His scoring, shooting and passing are dynamic and should only help Keaton Wagler come along as a rookie.
The Clippers have a new franchise cornerstone. Will they keep Kawhi Leonard around to make a run at the playoffs? Or will Leonard be heading to a new destination as the Clippers continue their pivot to be younger and reset their timeline?
Either way, the Clippers will have a dynamite new guard to watch grow into something great.
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