Previewing the Los Angeles Clippers For The 2026-27 Season
The Clippers have had maybe the most chaotic offseason in the NBA. The salary cap scandal punishment was handed out, as the team was stripped of five future first-round picks and fined $30 million. The team also moved on from Kawhi Leonard, the player who was involved in the salary cap scandal. The organization got a pretty nice haul of assets in return from the Raptors, and it will be the start of a fresh new era in LA this season.
The Roster
Point Guards — Darius Garland, Kris Dunn, Kobe Sanders, Jalen Pickett (Two-Way Contract)
Shooting Guards — Bradley Beal, Keaton Wagler, Cam Christie
Small Forwards — Brandon Ingram, Max Strus, Gradey Dick, Nick Martinelli (Two-Way Contract)
Power Forwards — Rui Hachimura, Derrick Jones Jr., Johni Broome
Centers — Brook Lopez, Isaiah Jackson, Yanic Konan Niederhäuser, Baba Miller
The roster is much different than it was a season ago. Players like Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick, who came over in the Kawhi Leonard trade, will add some new spark to the wing position.
Also, adding Max Strus and Rui Hachimura will be huge. They are two players who know their roles very well and can be threats from three every night.
I look at this roster, and it just gives me the vibe of a Clippers team. There are a lot of solid players overall and a lot of depth, but there is not a clear superstar. I think if the team connects well, they can win games. Also, if it goes sideways quickly, it could get ugly fast.
Biggest Questions
The biggest question I have is what the duo of Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram will look like.
These are two guys who are both two-time All-Stars and are honestly pretty similar in terms of how good they are. These two might be able to really elevate each other, as they are both in the prime of their careers and will be surrounded by plenty of solid role players to help boost them.
This is a duo that could last half a season, or they could take the Clippers to a top-six seed in the West and maybe become two major future building blocks for an organization that desperately needs some.
Another thing that will be interesting is how the shooting guard position will look.
Max Strus got the start in the first preseason game, but will that continue? Bradley Beal, not too long ago, was one of the better shooting guards in this league. It will be interesting to see what level of play he can return to.
Also, Keaton Wagler was the fifth overall pick in one of the most stacked draft classes in recent history. It will be interesting to see if he can get into the starting lineup as the season progresses or if this team will run a veteran at the starting two position with Max Strus or Bradley Beal.
The weakest point on this roster is the center position.
Brook Lopez is getting very old, and maybe he can still be a starting center in the NBA, but he most certainly will not be one who will be a game changer.
Isaiah Jackson has shown flashes throughout these last few seasons but has struggled with constant injuries and inconsistency.
Yanic Konan Niederhäuser was also a recent first-round pick and might be ready to carve out a serious role in the rotation once he gets back from the current injury he is dealing with. Rookie Baba Miller will also certainly have an opportunity to get some minutes as the season progresses.
Prediction Markets
Some of the current futures betting lines for the Clippers are as follows:
Regular-season win total: 28.5
To win the NBA Finals: +50000 (25th-best odds)
To win the Western Conference: +18000 (12th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Finals: +9000 (13th-best odds)
To reach the Conference Semifinals: +4000 (13th-best odds)
To win the division: +3000 (4th-best odds)
To make the playoffs: +700
To miss the playoffs: -1100
To participate in the Play-In: +320
To win the NBA Cup: +20000 (24th-best odds)
These odds are toward the bottom of the league. They are predicting the Clippers to finish somewhere around the 12-13 seed range.
I think this team definitely has the potential to be better than that, but the floor is also pretty low if things do not go right.
I think an interesting bet here is for them to win the division at +3000. If you are high on the Clippers, I would take that bet because it is good value in a weaker division.
Final Prediction and Outlook
I think the Clippers could definitely be a Play-In team if things play out right, like I stated.
The Clippers have surprisingly gone 15 consecutive seasons without finishing under .500. They have been a very mediocre team throughout the last decade-plus.
It is really hard for me to predict this team. I really want to believe they can be a Play-In team and finish around .500, and I would not be shocked whatsoever if they finish in that range or even higher.
However, the floor is low on this roster, so ultimately, I have to lean toward the floor.
Final Prediction
32-50 — 11 Seed
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