The Clippers are entering an offseason that should force them to cut down the roster.
They finished 42-40, ninth in the West, and did not reach the standard expected from a veteran team built around Kawhi Leonard. The defense was strong enough to compete most nights, but the offense was only 24th in points per game. That is not enough for an expensive roster with older players and limited margin.
The No. 5 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft changes the picture. The Clippers now have a real young asset. They can keep the pick, trade down, or use it in a bigger move. Any path points to the same thing: the roster should not return in the same form.
That does not mean every player on this list failed. Some helped. Some still have clear NBA value. But the Clippers have too many veterans on short contracts, too many option decisions, and not enough reason to keep every piece. If the front office wants more speed, more flexibility, and a younger base next to its stars, several names become obvious candidates to leave.
Here are five players who may not be on the Clippers roster next season.
5. Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum is the easiest name to understand on this list.
Batum is still useful in a limited role. He knows where to stand, moves the ball, defends with size, and gives the Clippers a low-usage forward who does not break the offense. He averaged 4.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists in 17.5 minutes this season while shooting 40.3% from the field and 40.4% from three. His usage rate was only 9.7%, which shows exactly what his role has become. He plays off others and takes open shots.
That role has value. The problem is age and direction.
Batum will be 38 next season. The Clippers have a $5.9 million club option for 2026-27, so they control the decision. The money is not huge, but the question is not only salary. It is roster space, minutes, and whether the team wants to keep another old wing in a summer where the No. 5 pick gives them a chance to get younger.
The Clippers brought Batum back on a two-year, $11.5 million deal last summer. ESPN reported at the time that the deal included a team option. That made sense then because Batum was a trusted veteran, and the Clippers needed stable frontcourt depth.
It may not make the same sense now.
The Clippers need more athleticism, more pressure on the rim, and more players who can survive high-minute playoff roles. Batum can still help in short bursts, but his profile is more useful for a team that already has enough young legs around him. The Clippers do not. They are already old in too many places.
If the Clippers decline the option, this would not be a hard decision. It would be a normal veteran roster move. Batum has had several useful years with the franchise, but keeping him into another season only makes sense if the Clippers are fully committed to another veteran-heavy run.
That is not the only path anymore.
4. Brook Lopez
Brook Lopez gave the Clippers a known skill set. He could space the floor, protect the rim, and give them a real second center behind Ivica Zubac before Zubac was moved. The idea was easy to defend when he signed. The Clippers wanted another big man who could defend in drop coverage and open the floor from the five spot.
The problem is that Lopez is also near the end of his career.
He averaged 8.5 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks in 21.8 minutes this season, shooting 42.8% from the field and 36.0% from three. Those numbers are not bad for a backup center. He still has value as a floor-spacing big. He can still block shots. He still knows how to play in structured defense.
But the Clippers have to ask a direct question: do they need a 38-year-old center on a $9.2 million club option?
That is the number for 2026-27. It is not an impossible salary, but it is not automatic either. Lopez signed a two-year, $18.0 million deal last offseason, and the second year is controlled by the team. The Clippers can keep him if they want another veteran big. They can also decline the option and open more flexibility.
The second path looks more likely if the front office wants to adjust the roster.
Lopez is best in specific lineups. He needs to play deep drop. He needs defenders who can fight over screens. He needs the offense to accept that he will not run the floor like a younger center. In a slower veteran build, that can work. In a roster that may need more speed and switching, it becomes harder.
The Clippers also have to think about the No. 5 pick. If they use it on a young player who needs minutes, or if they use it in a trade for a more important rotation piece, keeping Lopez becomes less important. A team does not need to carry every veteran option just because the salary is reasonable.
Lopez can still help a contender. That may actually be why he leaves. A team with a more defined role and a clearer playoff path could value him more than the Clippers do right now.
For the Clippers, declining the option would be a simple way to get younger and avoid paying almost $10.0 million for a center who may not fit their next version.
3. Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdan Bogdanovic is the most obvious option decision.
Bogdanovic has a $16.0 million club option for 2026-27. That number is the entire case. If the Clippers were a clear top-four team in the West, it would be easier to keep him. Shooting and bench scoring are always useful. But for a 42-40 team with major offseason choices, $16.0 million for a 34-year-old guard is a different decision.
His season did not make the choice easier. Bogdanovic averaged 7.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 37.6% from the field and 32.9% from three. That is not enough production for the price. He can still have good nights, and he remains a smart offensive player, but the regular season did not show enough efficiency or volume to make the option feel safe.
The Clippers originally acquired Bogdanovic from the Hawks at the 2025 trade deadline. The deal sent Terance Mann and Bones Hyland to the Hawks, with Bogdanovic and three second-round picks going to the Clippers. That trade made sense as a veteran shooting bet and gave the Clippers extra draft pieces.
Now the Clippers have to decide if keeping the player is worth the salary.
There is a case for picking up the option only if the Clippers plan to use Bogdanovic as matching salary in a bigger trade. A $16.0 million expiring-type number can be useful in the offseason. It can help build a package for a higher-level player. That may be the one reason he stays past the option deadline.
But if the question is only basketball fit, it is difficult. The Clippers need more athletic guards and wings. They need players who can defend better at the point of attack. They also need more reliable shooting if they are paying this type of salary. Bogdanovic did not give them enough in those areas.
This is not about disrespecting his career. Bogdanovic has been a good NBA scorer for years. He can still help the right team. But the Clippers are not in position to keep expensive veteran depth unless it has a direct purpose.
If they decline the option, the logic is simple: they get more financial flexibility and remove an older guard from a rotation that needs to become faster.
2. Derrick Jones Jr.
Derrick Jones Jr. is different from the first three players because he does not have a bad contract and he was not a problem.
Jones gave the Clippers real minutes. He averaged 10.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks in 27.0 minutes, shooting 49.9% from the field and 35.9% from three. For a wing known mostly for defense, athleticism, and cutting, that is solid production.
That is why he is on this list for a different reason.
Jones is not a simple cut candidate. He is a trade candidate. He is owed $10.5 million in 2026-27, with his contract running through 2027. That is a movable salary. It is not too large. It is not too small. It can fit into many trade structures.
Teams always need wings who defend, run the floor, and finish without taking touches from stars. Jones fits that. He is not a shooter defenses fear, but his three-point number was good enough this season to avoid being ignored. He also gives energy in transition, cuts behind ball-watchers, and can defend multiple positions.
That is useful. It is also exactly why another team could want him.
The Clippers may need to make trades this summer. They have the No. 5 pick, veteran contracts, and a roster that can move in more than one direction. Jones is one of the few role players who has positive value and a salary that can be included in many deals. If the Clippers chase a higher-level starter, Jones could become part of the outgoing package.
There is also a minutes question. If the Clippers draft a wing at No. 5 or trade for a younger forward, Jones could lose part of his role. If they keep Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, Darius Garland, and other veteran pieces, they still need to balance shooting, defense, and spacing. Jones helps in some areas, but he does not solve the half-court scoring issue.
Moving Jones would not mean the Clippers are unhappy with him. It would mean they are using one of their few movable contracts to reshape the team.
That is why he is higher than Lopez or Batum. The older veterans may leave because of option decisions. Jones could leave because he still has trade value.
1. John Collins
John Collins is the strongest candidate because his contract is done.
Collins will be an unrestricted free agent after earning $26.6 million this season. That does not mean he will get that number, but it shows the cap problem. If the Clippers want to keep him, they need to manage his rights, his new salary, and the rest of their offseason plan.
Collins helped. He averaged 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.8 blocks in 27.7 minutes, shooting 56.0% from the field and 42.3% from three. That is efficient production. He gave the Clippers a real frontcourt scorer, a lob threat, a post option, and enough shooting to play next to different bigs.
The Clippers acquired him in the three-team deal that sent Norman Powell to the Heat and Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson to the Jazz. The trade made sense at the time because the Clippers needed more size at forward and wanted to change the roster shape. The issue now is cost.
Collins is good enough to have a market. He is 28, productive, efficient, and still in his athletic window. He should not need to take a cheap contract. If another team offers him starter money over multiple years, the Clippers have to decide if matching that type of deal is the best use of their money.
That is where it gets difficult. The Clippers need to think bigger than one position. They have Leonard’s future to monitor, Mathurin’s restricted free agency, Garland’s role, the No. 5 pick, and the need to add more young talent. Paying Collins may be reasonable in a vacuum. It may be harder if it limits other moves.
There is also the role question. Collins is a good offensive forward, but he is not a primary creator. He is not a defensive anchor. He does not solve the Clippers’ biggest playoff problems by himself. He is a strong complementary player, not a franchise-level piece.
That makes his free agency dangerous. The Clippers should want him back at the right number. But if his market gets too high, walking away may be the correct decision.
Collins is a good, competitive player. He is also the most realistic major exit because the Clippers do not control his outcome. If he leaves, it will not be because he failed. It will be because the Clippers cannot let a decent veteran season force them into another expensive commitment.
Final Thoughts
The Clippers do not need to destroy the roster to change it.
They can decline options, let one free agent walk, and use one movable contract in a trade. That alone would change the age, salary structure, and rotation. Batum and Lopez are veteran option decisions. Bogdanovic is a money decision. Jones is a trade chip. Collins is the major free agency call.
That is why all five names make sense. The Clippers have to choose between running back another older team or using the No. 5 pick and their offseason flexibility to build something with more range.
