4 Players the LA Clippers wish they'd signed in 2023 free agency

Hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to say what an NBA general manager should have done - too easy. No, the league's GMs are not infallible. That said, they also make decisions that seem sensible in the moment, and may later look like mistakes. 

We'll be relying on hindsight here. Last summer, the LA Clippers were reasonably busy upgrading their roster. Outside of trading for the now-departed Kenyon Martin Jr., the Clippers re-signed Russell Westbrook and brought in Mason Plumlee. 

Westbrook was a no-brainer. Even Plumlee felt like a good decision. The Clippers needed a backup for Ivica Zubac. Plumlee is a solid utility player who can defend and rebound. He's also a high-end positional passer. 

Yet, midseason acquisition Daniel Theis has effectively usurped him in the rotation. It seems that Tyrone Lue would prefer to lean into five-out spacing when Zubac is resting. Meanwhile, the Clippers had an impressive collection of 3-and-D wings who could play the 5 in small-ball lineups - until they traded most of them to the Philadelphia 76ers for James Harden. 

In hindsight, they could have used one of these four free agents instead of Plumlee. 

4. Taurean Prince

Of course, we don't know if any of these guys would have wanted to play for the Clippers. Still, we do know that Prince wanted to play for a contender in Hollywood. He signed with the Los Angeles Lakers. 

He would have been an intriguing fit with the Clippers too. Prince is a low-usage 3-and-D wing. He's knocking down 38.9% of his 4.8 triples per contest in 2023-24. 

Prince also brings enough grit and toughness to man the 5 for spells. Granted, the jumbo Lakers haven't deployed him that way this year - in fact, Prince has played very little 5 throughout his NBA career. 

It would have been interesting to see how Coach Lue used him. Either way, we'll never know. Prince has been a valuable cog for the Clippers' intracity rival.