So far, in the Bennedict Mathurin saga, one possibility that has come up is a sign-and-trade. Teams around the league have shown interest, yet the LA Clippers’ front office hasn’t necessarily listed what they wanted in return.
Well, that’s finally changed. According to Ohm Youngmisuk, an NBA reporter for ESPN, the Clippers are only going to take sign-and-trade talks with interested suitors seriously if “it benefits them and adds more assets, such as either a young promising player, picks or both.” This hints that Mathurin will be back, as his value on the market is relatively low following a shaky half-season tenure with the Clippers.
Now, if Mathurin took a step forward following the trade deadline and consistently elevated his performances, the Clippers might’ve been able to have their demands met.
No one is going to pay the LA Clippers what they want for Mathurin
Bennedict Mathurin joined the LA Clippers at the trade deadline with the front office hoping that he would prove himself to be a real All-Star-level talent before the offseason came around. That way, they could either create cap room to keep him around for the long run or sign-and-trade him for a haul.
Mathurin started strong, but slowly, the impression of him started to shift in the opposite direction.
He wasn’t good enough to start in Tyronn Lue’s rotation; there was inconsistent production as the sixth man, and the flaws in his game on the offensive side of the ball really came to light.
For context, he played in 26 games for the Clippers and averaged 17.4 points, while shooting 42.6% from the field (12.3 attempts) and 20.7% from beyond the arc (3.2 attempts).
Additionally, in his lone start, Mathurin posted 14 points on 4-for-14 shooting, with six turnovers and five personal fouls.
There isn’t a whole lot to like here, other than the fact that he can score and is young at just 24 years old, which suggests the Clippers are asking for too much in sign-and-trade packages for the youngster.
There is simply no way a team calls them ready to pay up quality draft capital, a promising young talent, or both, for someone like Mathurin. This doesn’t seem realistic.
As a result, it’s become so much more likely that Mathurin will be playing for the Clippers in the upcoming season, whether on a new contract or the qualifying offer.
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