INGLEWOOD — Change to the Clippers’ roster next season, if any, will be small and incremental, done only to boost the talent already in place.
Two days after the team’s season ended in what he called “extremely embarrassing and uncharacteristic” way, Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank outlined plans for next season. And those plans include running it back with Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, while maintaining financial flexibility.
“We feel really good about our core,” Frank said Monday via Zoom from New York, where he was dealing with a family medical issue. “And we expect to be really good again next season.”
The Clippers exceeded expectations this season by winning 50 games, earning the fifth seed for the playoffs, and pushing the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets to seven games before being eliminated in the first round. While the series was competitive, the Clippers rolled over in Game 7 and made a first-round exit for the third straight year.
“Right now, we all still want to be playing,” Frank said. “Our players are embarrassed about Game 7 and they’re really, really upset that we lost the series, as well as our coaches. But if I had a time machine and it zoomed me (forward) a month from now, what would I say about our season? I’d still be disappointed that we lost in the playoffs, but I also would look back with both gratitude and a great deal of pride about the type of season we had over the last six months.”
Frank pointed to the starting group of Ivica Zubac, Norman Powell, Leonard and Harden for the team’s success this season and hopes all return for another shot at advancing deeper in the postseason.
Harden, 35, carried the team when Leonard was still sidelined and continued to lead the team when Leonard returned, averaging 22.8 points, 5.6 rebounds and 8.7 assists. Harden signed a two-year $70 million contract extension last season, can opt in for next season or decline and work out a new deal with the Clippers (or another team).
“We are very, very happy with everything that we wanted from James that we got and then some,” Frank said. “When we initially traded for James, he was coming in as the third guy and as the offseason transpired last off (year), we went in a different direction.”
Harden was brought in initially as a facilitator, but with Leonard unable to start the season, he was counted for scoring as well. Harden responded with averages of 22.8 points, 8.7 assists and 5.8 rebounds, while playing a team-high 35 minutes in 79 regular-season games, though he struggled at times in the playoffs.
“We really asked James to do a lot and at his age to deliver … and he did,” Frank said.
Leonard, who turns 34 in June, didn’t make his season debut until January while dealing with inflammation in his surgically repaired right knee. The two-time NBA Finals MVP, who averaged 21.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 31.9 minutes during the regular season, has two years left on his current deal.
“There’s another level for him out there that he’s going to get to next year,” Frank said. “I think looking at next year that we can be better with more games from Kawhi.”
Powell has one year remaining on a five-year, $90 million deal that he originally signed with the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021. Frank said the organization will sit down with Powell’s representation at some point this summer and discuss an extension and see what makes sense for both sides.
Reserve forward Nicolas Batum, 36, a fan favorite who rejoined the Clippers this season on a two-year deal, also has a player option.
“We have some free agents on our team, so we would like to be in a position where we can retain them, which is our first priority,” Frank said. “Obviously, James is a player option, so we’ll have discussions in terms of what he plans to do. Nico has a player option. We’ll talk to Nico, and along with Amir (Coffey) and Ben (Simmons) and Patty (Mills) and Drew (Eubanks) down the line.
“Then in terms of the tools we have, we have the non-tax pyramid level, which is the same tool that was used to sign Derek Jones Jr. last summer. We also have some trade exceptions and we’ll always be an attractive place at the minimum market based on our history of not just how the guys making the minimum have played, but how we’ve taken care of ’em and rewarded ’em.”
Frank said one area the team needs will look to address whether in free agency or trades is their aging roster. Six of their rotation players are 31 years old or more, led by Harden, who will turn 36 later this summer.
“We’re the oldest team in the league,” Franks said. “Always the quandary that we’ve had is you that can have youth, but if the deck is stacked … if you have a bunch of veterans ahead of ’em, when does the youth really ever get in the game?”
He said that while successful teams need a balance of young and old, “the really, really high-level players have shown a way to sustain their play for longer than the prior generation.”
Still, Frank expects the Clippers to be a serious contender in the talented Western Conference again next season with Leonard, Harden, Zubac and Powell, who went 21-5 when they were all in the lineup together this season.
“I think, looking at next year, that we can be better with more games from Kawhi and internal improvement like we saw from Norman, Zu and Amir Coffey and some of our other guys,” Frank said. “Along with some of the upgrades that we can make, whether it’s via free agency or trades.”
Frank said one area he will focus on this summer is adding frontcourt help, especially at the center position, and younger players.
“I think we need to add (players),” Frank said. “The West is a bear. It doesn’t get easier. It gets harder because each of these teams that either were playing or are currently playing – look at their top players, they are studs, they’re great players, some are in their prime, some are pre-primed, some are also comparable ages to our guys.
“So, we need our guys to get better. We need to continue to add to the roster and just keep on giving ourselves chances. It was great that we were healthy for the first time in a long time, but that doesn’t mean you only get one shot at it. … We’ll keep on taking cracks at it, and at the same time we’ve always been open-minded and learning the errors of our way and finding areas where we can correct and get better.”