Demystifying the Clippers' offseason operations: Harden's stay is the top issue or finding the next core next year

The Clippers' 2024-25 season came to an end with the loss to the Nuggets in the tiebreaker. How will they operate this offseason? Clippers reporter Law Murray wrote an article to explain, saying that for now, at least in the short term, the Clippers will continue to build a team around Harden and small cards.

According to league sources, the Clippers are paying less than the No. 1 local league line and plan to maintain operational flexibility with an eye on the next two offseasons.The first issue is where Harden goes, who has a $36.4 million player option for next season.

Harden will turn 36 in August. Since being traded to the Clippers in October 2023, he's enjoyed playing in his hometown. "Hopefully I can play here a few more years and then retire here so I can continue to make an impact off the court," Harden said in 2024.

How the Clippers will keep Harden is yet to be determined, but given that he was selected as an All-Star here and made the playoffs for the 16th straight year,He is widely expected to return in some form。

Harden has previously sacrificed wages for the team: In 2022, he turned down the 76ers' $47.4 million player option to sign a two-year contract, which gives him a $35.6 million player option for the 2023-2024 season so that Philadelphia can sign free agents like Tucker and Daniel House.

This season,Harden reiterated that with him as the primary playmaker, the chemistry the Clippers have built should go further next year, he used Zubac as an example.

"How long have we been playing together, almost two years?" Last month, Harden compared Zubac's progress with former Rockets teammate Clint Capela and said, "I've played with Clint for five or six years. And Zubac is a lot more versatile on the offensive end than Clint, you know what I mean? But it's important to understand what to do with every offense, whether it's switching defenses or blocking pick-and-rolls...... It takes time to develop a tacit understanding. Next year will be even better, when everything will be even more perfect. ”

Harden's star partner Kawhi Leonard just finished his first season on a three-year contract extension signed in January 2024 that runs through the 2026-2027 season. Initially, he was sidelined with a right knee inflammation that not only ruined his and George's playoff run last season, but also cost Leonard a missed Olympic gold medal.

Leonard averaged 16.3 points in 26 minutes per game before All-Star Weekend and 25.0 points in 35.9 minutes per game after All-Star Weekend. In March, he made clear his goals as he entered the second year of his contract.

"My goal is to stay healthy at the end of the season so I can have a great summer without worrying about rehab or missing out on training camp," Leonard said March 10 after the overtime whistle win over the Kings.

However, this summer came earlier than Leonard expected. With the Clippers winning 18 of their final 21 games of the regular season and not losing streak for eight weeks, the series against the Nuggets was supposed to be an opportunity for Leonard and Harden to reassert their dominance in the playoffs, but they ended up losing to the Nuggets in the tiebreaker and ending in the first round.

Zubac, Norman Powell, Derrick Jones Jr., Dunn and Bogdan have all signed contracts for the 2025-26 season. Powell averaged a career-high 21.8 points per game and was the team's No. 2 scorer. He is entering the final year of his contract with a salary of $20.5 million for the 2025-2026 season and will turn 32 this month. The Clippers don't need to rush into action against Powell, though, especially given Harden's age and Kawhi Ho

Batum is 36 years old and has a $4.9 million player option. He is highly regarded by the Clippers and is expected to stay.The Frenchman has said his goal is to surpass former All-Star Peja Stojakovic to become the second-most European player to shoot three-pointers, and he only needs to hit 11 more three-pointers to do so.

The most talked-about free agents are Ben Simmons and Amir Kofe。 Simmons, as the team's target in the buyout market, has played less and less playing time in the series against the Nuggets; Kofe, on the other hand, was marginalized in the nine-man rotation in the playoffs.

And then there's Tyronn Lue. Last May, the Clippers signed Lue to a contract extension until 2029. Despite the team's early exit, Lue's relationship with Clippers owner Ballmer and basketball operations president Frank remains solid.

But Lue can no longer use the team's playoff roster as an excuse. The Clippers are one of six teams in the West that have never won a playoff series since 2021. It was the first time in Lue's coaching career that he had lost in a tie-break, after a 4-0 record and the second year in a row that the team ended the season on Lue's birthday.

Last month, the Nuggets fired head coach Malone. Someone recently asked Lue why anyone still wants to be a head coach, and Lu joked that the job "pays well". But his answer is telling.

"It's a tough job — but as long as you can win, it's fun," Lou said last month, "and personally, I have a good relationship with Frank, [GM] Trent Reden, [SVP] Mark Hughes, and I have a good relationship with the owner, Mr. Ballmer." This is important. But that doesn't mean they won't make the right decisions. But it's really great to have a relationship that keeps you in constant communication, communicates with each other, understands each other's needs and expectations. ”

Lue has made several good decisions this season, the most important of which is the appointment of Jeff van Gundy as the team's de facto defensive coordinator. Lue has earned the respect of his stars, and the Clippers appreciate a stable team that doesn't change coaches as often.Despite the disappointing results in this playoffs, Lue is seen as part of the team's future development, not the problem.

The Clippers may be looking to improve their roster for the upcoming season. Just like in the 2019 offseason they managed to sign Leonard,The team may be looking for the next core of the team with their eyes on 2026。 From the perspective of the next championship window, this is the most reasonable time plan.

Under Ballmer's leadership, the Clippers have had 14 consecutive seasons with more wins and fewer losses. They won't be rebuilding and aren't in a position to do so, because the team is running out of draft picks and the Southern California-based stars can't get a big return on the trade market.

For the Clippers, the challenge is to stay competitive while making the best decisions for the future. For now, that means continuing to build a team around Harden and Kawhi Kawhi Kawhi Leonard.

"I can't say that right now," Leonard said when asked how he learned from this season, "in a sense, we've been playing at a high level. But this question is difficult to answer right now. ”