Grading Every Major Offseason Move for the Clippers

Keaton Wagler drafted 5th overall - B+
The Clippers got lucky on this one. With a 48% chance to land the pick, luck was on their side above front office competence and the Clippers were able to land the 5th pick in the 2026 NBA draft. The draft clearly started at five with a consensus top four already in place, and the Clippers picking the best available out of Keaton Wagler, Mikel Brown Jr, and Darius Acuff Jr landed them the former. The reason this pick is not an A is because we do not know if the other two will end up being better than Wagler. Personally, I have been very high on Wagler since before March Madness and wanted him selected over the others. The only way this pick could have landed as an A grade is if one of the top four managed to fall in the hands of the Clippers, which would have immediately made this pick be an A+ selection.

Clippers trade for Max Strus - C
The acquisition of Max Strus is a B+ signing in itself. I really like the veteran’s skillset and how he will be able to contribute to winning basketball without needing much usage on the ball which will allow us to continue the development of the younger guys that needs the reps. However, this move came with missing out on Peyton Watson. Watson was my biggest target for the Clippers this offseason and even my first article on this page. The upside of a young, defending guard that can put the ball on the floor and score at will would have been a great replacement for this post-Kawhi era. It would have also allowed us more flexibility in making our current best defenders Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr to be expendable, allowing move assets to be acquired in the process. I would put missing out on Watson to be an F and acquiring Strus to be a B+, averaging this out to be a C grade.

Clippers sign Bradley Beal - C+
The signing of Bradley Beal, for the price in which he was acquired, is definitely an A-. The veteran has a lot to prove by once again entering a contract year and reminding the league of the scorer he truly is. Taking a low risk on a trade-able asset that can easily outperform his contract and be moved is definitely smart business. However, this move made it so that the Clippers were not willing to bring back Mathurin. Mathurin is a much younger player who averaged 17 points per game last season and has true upside. The Clippers allowing him to walk for nothing and expecting an older, injury prone Beal to be inserted into that role is a poor business move. Beal may also take away from the young talent as he requires the ball in his hands. However, considering the Clippers need to win as they will likely owe the Thunder their draft selection, choosing a veteran like Beal may make more sense for them. This grade would be even lower if it wasn’t for the injury to Jordan Miller. Since Jordan Miller will not be out of action until at least the NBA trade deadline, the re-signing of Beal works out even better.

Clippers lose Bennedict Mathurin - F
26 games. Upon trading our longest tenured player and franchise center in Ivica Zubac, the main player in return was a young asset that can score at will, especially on the bench. After 26 games, the Clippers let him walk for nothing. This is considered to be a move in keeping agencies happy to do business with a team as the Clippers did not want to complicate any signing restrictions or enact any sign-and-trade for minimal return as prioritizing the happiness of an agency that also manages Anthony Edwards appears to be a bigger priority to them. However, the Zubac trade has not become less impressive of a return and the Clippers now lose another scorer for nothing. If this opens up a path for Gradey Dick to revive his career by proving he is a legitimate NBA player, then this grade can be quickly revisited. Until then, factoring in the loss of Peyton Watson to the Cavs and not bringing in Mathurin back as a substitute, this move is an F.

Clippers trade Kawhi Leonard - B
I was personally in favor of Kawhi Leonard being traded during the 2025 offseason. As of the publishing of this article, Kawhi Leonard is still technically on the Clippers. However, if the trade goes through as agreed upon, I am very impressed by the selection of draft picks acquired in this deal. The Raptors are expected to send unprotected picks to the Clippers in 2031 and 2033, which is in four and six seasons from now! They will also be sending a 2027 first-round pick swap as well as a couple second-round picks. The impressive selection of draft capital being that far out in the future is very valuable for a team like the Clippers who will want to keep adding youth to their team at the expense of a team like the Raptors who have a big question mark on how they will look that many years from now. The reason this trade is not higher than a B is because the Clippers did not get any promising players in return. Brandon Ingram is an established NBA veteran and a recent all-star, however, at this stage in his career he is what he is and we know exactly what we expect out of him, which there is not much upside to. Gradey Dick, on the other hand, has a huge opportunity to reinvent himself. Yet him being the main young talent in this trade is not very exciting, despite me being a huge fan of his size and skillset. This means that the Clippers are ultimately banking on getting luck with the draft picks again like they got for the Zubac return, while the players they are receiving in return to be an afterthought.

Clippers sign Rui Hachimura - A+
Finally, a perfect score for the Clippers. The Clippers sign one of the best shooters in the league on a team-friendly contract. Rui had huge expectations last year on the defensive side while the offense was dominated by the likes of Luka Doncic, LeBron James, Austin Reaves, and DeAndre Ayton of the Lakers. On the Clippers, Rui will get many more opportunities to score on offense while lowering his defensive load thanks to defenders such as Kris Dunn and Derrick Jones Jr. Rui is also a player that can contribute to winning without taking away opportunities from the young talent on the roster, allowing the team to play him freely without stunting any development.