Clippers Depth Chart After the Rui Hachimura Signing

The Los Angeles Clippers made their first external free agent signing on Monday morning. Per ESPN's Shams Charania, free agent forward Rui Hachimura has agreed to sign a two-year, $28 million deal with the Clippers.

This comes a week after power forward John Collins departed LA and signed a three-year deal with the Detroit Pistons. Hachimura spent four seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. Per Marc Stein, the 28-year-old received interest from several teams, including the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dallas Mavericks, and Golden State Warriors, but ultimately prioritized staying in LA.

The Clippers now have 13 players on the roster with standard NBA deals. They can fill two more open roster spots. Currently, Bennedict Mathurin is a restricted free agent, while Bradley Beal and Nicolas Batum are unrestricted free agents. Here is an updated look at LA's depth chart.

Current Clippers Depth Chart

PG	SG	SF	PF	C
Darius Garland	Keaton Wagler	Brandon Ingram	Rui Hachimura	Brook Lopez
Kris Dunn	Gradey Dick	Jordan Miller	Derrick Jones Jr.	Yanic Konan Niederhauser
Kobe Sanders	Cam Christie			Isaiah Jackson

The expectation with the Hachimura signing is that he should be starting for the Clippers next season. Derrick Jones Jr. can provide quality minutes, but Hachimura has a little more size and physicality on the defensive end.

Hachimura started in 41 out of 68 games last season with the Lakers. He was efficient in his opportunities, averaging 11.5 points per game on eight shot attempts, shooting 51 percent from the field. His scoring took a massive increase in the playoffs.

He had four games scoring 20 or more points. The 6'8" forward was impressive from beyond the arc against the Oklahoma City Thunder, shooting 16-of-29 (55%) from three. LA now has solid depth at the forward position, with Ingram, Sanders, and Jones Jr.

The biggest question remaining is the lack of frontcourt depth. There is a clear lack of rebounding and shot blocking at the center position. Brook Lopez is 38 years old, and it's clear that his athleticism and versatility as a center are slowly declining. Luckily, they still have some financial flexibility to bring in some help.

The roster will still likely change before the season begins. After the Kawhi Leonard trade, the Clippers are heading towards a rebuild, which could mean the other veterans on the roster could be on the move. Kris Dunn, at 32 years old, is the second-oldest player on the roster, which means his time as a Clipper could be coming to an end.

Hachimura is a solid addition for LA, but he doesn't fix some clear issues on the roster. Clippers fans should anticipate more moves in the near future as they retool this roster for the 2026-27 season.

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