Ivica Zubac was loved. James Harden was appreciated, and Chris Paul was an all-time great. But when it came to the Clippers’ long-range plans and short-term goals, each was expendable.
Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, explained the decisions behind trading each player last week, difficult moves that he believes will ultimately help make the team better.
The 36-year-old Harden, who wanted to join a contender, was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Darius Garland, a 26-year-old point guard, while 28-year-old center Zubac, who held considerable trade value, and third-year player Kobe Brown, were shipped to the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Bennedict Mathurin and Isiah Jackson plus two first-round draft picks and one second-round choice.
Paul, who had not played since being sent home from a road trip on Dec. 3 amid tensions that arose from the 40-year-old’s leadership style, was traded to the Toronto Raptors.
“As hard as these moves are, we are extremely excited about where we’re going,” Frank said Monday during a Zoom call with reporters. “We want to win now. We believe we are going to win now, and we’re going to do it while getting younger. That doesn’t dismiss the impact specifically that James and Zu had, but in Darius, we’re getting a two-time All-Star.”
Frank stressed the importance of winning now and down the road with a younger group of players. With the oldest roster in the league, the Clippers started the season at 6-21 but have climbed to a 25-27 record with a 19-6 surge, the best record in the NBA over that stretch.
Frank said he was not intending to trade Harden but couldn’t refuse the opportunity to get Garland, who is averaging 18 points, 2.6 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game despite toe problems. Garland is currently recovering from a big toe sprain and is not expected to play until after the All-Star break.
“It made sense for Cleveland, in that they’re in a different team-building stage right now. For us, not only did we want to win today, we also needed a better ‘tomorrow.’ And to get a 26-year-old who’s already been a two-time All-Star, it made sense for both sides,” Frank said.
Frank said he was not looking to trade Zubac but told the second-team All-NBA center that “if someone makes us a ‘godfather-type’ offer, we have to look at it just because there’s not much left in the piggy bank prior to this trade in terms of premium picks.”
Mathurin and Jackson are expected to be on the bench for Tuesday’s road game against the Houston Rockets.
Frank said Jackson, a quick, athletic center, is a player they targeted as a trade candidate over the past few years before he suffered a torn Achilles in 2024.
“That’s typically a year recovery, and especially for him, who’s high motor, very athletic, an explosive jumper, it takes even a little bit longer,” Frank said. “But you are definitely starting to see that second jump in explosiveness coming back.”
Frank said Jackson gives the Clippers depth at center behind Brook Lopez and a mentor to rookie Yanic Konan Niederhauser.
Frank said Mathurin is a young player who is not afraid of big moments. A former Pac-12 Player of the Year when he was at Arizona, he scored 27 points in a game during last season’s NBA Finals and possesses an inner belief in his game.
“This is going to be a great opportunity for him,” Frank said, adding that he will continue to learn playing alongside forwards Kawhi Leonard and John Collins.
The Clippers’ future includes Leonard, who will be making his seventh All-Star appearance this weekend at the Intuit Dome. The 34-year-old two-time NBA Finals MVP has one year left on a three-year, $152.4 million contract and Frank said he and Leonard’s representatives will sit down this summer to discuss moving forward.
“The No. 1 priority for Kawhi is the same No. 1 priority for the Clippers organization,” Frank said. “We want to win a championship and so how do we do it together? We can continue and look forward to building with Kawhi, while still acknowledging we’re going to need more. We’ll go through every step of what that looks like, whether it’s free agency, whether it’s a trade, whether it’s the draft. But Kawhi has been a great partner, and I anticipate him being a great partner moving forward.”
While the Clippers will miss Harden and Zubac, Frank said the moves were necessary for the team to have any hope of competing for a title down the road.
“We were the oldest team in the NBA. We were in ninth place despite turning around, which we do not take lightly,” he said. “But we had to make some really, really hard and difficult decisions. As a player and coach, you don’t expect those guys to like it and with every major trade we’ve made here over the last 10 years, I’ve always had to face very disappointed players.”
CLIPPERS AT ROCKETS
When: Tuesday, 5 p.m. PT
Where: Toyota Center, Houston
TV/Radio: FDSN SoCal, NBA TV/570 AM