Daniel Theis
Beginning the season with the Pacers, Daniel Theis was part of an Indiana team where he had seen his role decrease the previous year. With Myles Turner, Jalen Smith and other talented frontcourt players taking up a heavy percentage of minutes on the roster, Theis had been relegated to a backup role and was essentially out of the rotation.
To start the 2023-24 season, not much changed. So when the Clippers encountered an early-November knee injury to Mason Plumlee, they were all of a sudden left without a big man to back up Ivica Zubac. After some quick looking around the league to see what viable replacements might be available, the Clippers quickly grew to like the idea of Daniel Theis.
He would agree to a contract buyout with Indiana before signing with LA. When he arrived, Daniel instantly filled the gap left by the injured Plumlee and quickly developed strong chemistry with the likes of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, becoming an effective screener, roller, and lob finisher.
But when Mason came back from injury, he eventually filled into his previous role once again. Theis did not become useless, but we can say his usefulness was certainly diminished. Suffice to say, if the Clippers are choosing between one and the other this offseason, it feels reasonable to say Plumlee would be an easy choice in their mind.