As the LA Clippers presented fans with a nightmare of a Play-In Tournament, the season is officially over, and Kawhi Leonard may have just played his last game as a member of the organization. He’s been through ups, downs, thick and thin, but with the direction the team is headed in, and how they’ve come up short of a championship yet again, the only option left is to trade him.
Along with Leonard, though, is a group of five players that cannot be brought back under any circumstances. While these guys arrived to the Clippers for a specific strength, or a combination of them, their flaws are too notable to overlook, and would essentially damage the team if kept beyond the offseason.
Nicolas Batum
One year into a contract that is on the LA Clippers’ books through next season, Nicolas Batum has to go. He simply doesn’t bring enough to the table, and because Batum is 37 years old, retirement, which he’s already made publicly known as something on his mind, has to be next in store.
In fact, all Batum has really done for the Clippers in the 74 games he played is shoot the three ball and be available. That might be enough for another team, but for the Clippers, who are paying him over $5 million annually, he needs to be doing more.
Bradley Beal
There is no argument in the universe that is strong enough to support why Bradley Beal should stay. He was healthy for just six games, and despite the coaches catering to him, as much help as one could ask for being around him, and the fans in support, Beal disappointed, then suffered a season-ending hip injury.
He really averaged just 8.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 0.8 assists, shooting 37.5% from the floor and 36.8% from a distance.
The experiment to bring him in was clearly a disaster, and it’s no secret he must be gone.
Brook Lopez
If Brook Lopez were any bit younger, the LA Clippers would heavily consider keeping him. In fact, they still might be, considering how phenomenal he was for the second half of the season heading into the Play-In Tournament.
For context, Lopez averaged 11.1 points and 5.1 rebounds, shooting 47.7% from the floor and 38.8% from beyond the arc in 32 games since the trade deadline.
But, because the ‘Splash Mountain’ is 38, and the Clippers already have a strong, young, and robust center rotation with Yanic Konan Niderhauser and Isaiah Jackson, LA does not need him.
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic deserved playing time at various points during the season, and on the nights he was actually given some, the veteran proved himself.
Since the beginning of March, Bogdanovic has played only two games of more than 10 minutes, and in each, he scored 16 or more points with exceptional efficiency.
However, because his team option is slightly above $16 million, the Clippers won’t hesitate to let him go. He is not considered the type of need that requires the front office to incur a relatively high expense on the books to keep him.
Benedict Mathurin
As Benedict Mathurin was great for a short period of time with the LA Clippers, when he really started to settle in, it became a question of why the front office even traded for him.
Sure, Mathurin is only 23 years old and can score, get downhill, and defend at an above-average level. But at the same time, he plays recklessly, doesn't have his head up at times to make a play, and is extremely inefficient.
A player like this is not worth holding onto, especially when he might demand an unreasonable amount of money as a restricted free agent this summer.
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