Two More Clippers Have to Follow Bennedict Mathurin's Departure

On Saturday, the Los Angeles Clippers officially withdrew the qualifying offer for Bennedict Mathurin, per NBA insider Keith Smith. This officially makes him an unrestricted free agent, but his two-year, $16 million contract with the New Orleans Pelicans was already reported. This ends Mathurin's brief stint with the Clippers.

Once the Clippers drafted Keaton Wagler, traded for Max Strus, and re-signed Bradley Beal, the writing was on the wall for Mathurin. There were simply too many shooting guards on the roster, and it made little sense to add Mathurin into that mix. Whether that was the right move or a mistake is up for debate.

Even after letting Mathurin go, the Clippers have to part ways with at least two more players. Assuming that the Kawhi Leonard trade goes through and Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick are Clippers players, LA has 17 players under contract for this season. This has to go down to 15 before the start of the season.

Who Will the Clippers Part Ways With Before the Start of the Season?

One departure candidate is obvious. Cam Christie's $2.3 million salary is non-guaranteed. The Clippers, who have no need for another shooting guard like Christie, can cut the 21-year-old without any financial burden. They will look to trade him first, but it's difficult to imagine there will be any teams giving anything up to acquire Christie.

Who the other player will be is a fascinating decision. The Clippers can either try to trade one of their veterans with trade value or cut one of their players further down the depth chart. There are complicating factors in each potential path.

The Clippers could trade Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr., or Brook Lopez and get a positive return. Their contracts are small enough that a deal where the Clippers don't get a player back can easily be constructed. LA could even get a first-round pick for Dunn and Jones Jr.

However, the Clippers need all three veterans to be a competitive team. Lopez is their only proven center. Dunn and Jones Jr. are the only plus defenders on the team. Considering that the Clippers are desperately trying to win as many games as possible this season, this seems like the less likely path.

Alternatively, the Clippers could try to trade Gradey Dick or Isaiah Jackson. Both players make around $7 million, which means that another team will be unwilling to take them on without getting compensated. The Clippers could trade one of them by attaching a couple of second-round picks. If such a trade doesn't materialize, waiving one of them remains an option.

Given the lack of frontcourt depth in LA, it's difficult to imagine that the Clippers would want to lose Jackson. Dick is the more likely option between the two.

Johni Broome is the last realistic departure candidate. The second-year big man was acquired by the Clippers earlier this offseason. The Sixers, wanting to shed salary to fit LeBron James' contract, gave a second-round pick to the Clippers to take Broome and his $2.1 million deal on.

The Clippers could use more power forward and center depth, so they may have some interest in keeping Broome. At the same time, his contract makes it relatively easy to part ways with him.

There are several different directions that GM Lawrence Frank can go. Which direction he will choose is unclear, but we know one thing: the Clippers are not done, at least in terms of departures.

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