#los-angeles-clippers

#los-angeles-clippers

The Oklahoma City Thunder are 21-1 and the prohibitive favorite to repeat as NBA champions this year; they also might improve dramatically this offseason. That is because the Thunder own outright the Los Angeles Clippers' first-round pick in the 2026 draft. The dark provenance of that pick is a 2019 trade between these teams in which the Thunder shed Paul George and acquired Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the rare "future podcaster" to "future MVP" upgrade.

To get the bad out of the way first: Kawhi Leonard is currently wrapped in a league-wide investigation after allegedly manipulating the salary cap by accepting money under-the-table from a now-bankrupt tree-planting company, Aspiration. We don't know how - or when - this investigation will be resolved. But the Clippers could be in a lot of trouble, even though they only have one eligible first-round pick they can lose with the richest owner in professional sports.

Powell averaged a career-high 21.8 points on 41.8 percent shooting from 3-point range, being one of the NBA's best 3-point shooters last season.

The Clippers released their roster for the NBA2K26 Summer League, which opens play Friday and runs through July 20 in Las Vegas. Rookies include Yanic Konan Niederhauser and Kobe Sanders.