Before the re-signing of Bradley Beal, the LA Clippers reportedly showed interest in bringing back restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin. This made perfect sense to Clippers fans worldwide, as Mathurin is the guard they wanted over Beal because he is significantly younger and can offer much more production on both ends of the court.
However, following the official announcement that Beal has returned to LA on a two-year contract with a player option, Marc Stein of “The Stein Line” reported, “the door on a return to the Clippers, according to one source briefed on the process, remains open…” This is absolutely senseless, considering Tyronn Lue has an absurd amount of guards on the roster. Retaining Mathurin might be wise for the long run, but for right now, it’ll only add to the problem Lue has on his plate.
For reference, the current guards on the Clippers roster are: Darius Garland, Keaton Wagler, Beal, Kris Dunn, Kobe Sanders, Jordan Miller, Cam Christie, Jalen Pickett, and Gradey Dick.
Though some of those guys can switch positions, like Sanders in the frontcourt, that’s still way too many guards for the Clippers’ liking.
With a certain amount of space, there's not enough space for everyone if Mathurin returns
Assuming the starting two-man next to the 26-year-old, two-time All-Star, Darius Garland, is Kris Dunn, who complements the face of the franchise the best with his defensive ability, where’s the minutes for guards that need to be playing on the bench like Bradley Beal, Gradey Dick, Jordan Miller, Kobe Sanders, and Keaton Wagler?
Wagler is a must play because needs to be developed to the utmost extent, Miller and Sanders, who both just signed long term deals over the summer, cannot be left out of the rotation, Beal certainly wasn’t re-signed for over $6.5 million annually to sit around on the sidelines, and Dick, a former lottery pick that has breakout potential, has to see the floor consistently.
As a result, while it may hurt, the Clippers’ front office either needs to trade Dunn, which is something that could happen with the Denver Nuggets for Peyton Watson, or let Mathurin walk away to one of the teams still interested in him (Milwaukee Bucks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Chicago Bulls, according to Marc Stein).
There’s simply not enough room for the Clippers to keep everyone, no matter how beneficial each player might be.
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