LA Clippers Still in Danger of 2026 NBA Draft Disaster

The LA Clippers are careening toward the NBA’s doomsday scenario.

The team was once thought of to be one of the better teams in the Western Conference, armed with a host of veteran players who seemingly matched together nicely, and had plenty of experience to go around.

Kawhi Leonard, while somewhat injury prone in recent years, still had the capability to play at a star level. James Harden remains one of the league’s best play-makers. And others like Ivica Zubac, Bradley Beal, Derrick Jones Jr., John Collins and even Chris Paul were thought of to be a potentially postseason-bound core.

But things have gone from bad to worse this season for LA.

They currently stand at just 6-21, in a three-way tie for the third-worst record in the league. They only trail the Wizards and Pelicans, and stand even with the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers, both of which are amid down seasons.

Even worse, there’s little hope for the team moving forward. Bradley Beal is set to miss the remainder of the season due to injury, and one of the team’s few positive players in Jones is out as well. Chris Paul — one of a handful of franchise legends — has been sent home. And the remaining on-court players are far from meshing.

LA currently stands at No. 28 league-wide in points per game, and No. 26 in defensive rating. And the above storylines haven’t helped gain positive momentum.

All of this would be fine if the Clippers had their own first-round pick, though that currently lies with Oklahoma City, therein making for the aforementioned scenario.

OKC stands at the complete opposite end of the success spectrum, offering up a 25-2 record, with the reigning MVP, two other All-Star talents and quite possible the best defense ever assembled. The gap between the two was especially apparent in Thursday night's contest, where the Thunder coasted to a double-digit beatdown of LA, who was without Harden.

If the Thunder weren't NBA-rich enough, they're currently projected to land a top-three pick, courtesy of the Clippers, in a lauded draft with potentially the best top-three we've seen in decades. Any of AJ Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer or Darryn Peterson landing with this OKC squad is nightmare-inducing.

There's still hope the Clippers can play to their talent level and make a Play-In push, though those hopes fade a little more each day. Many expected them to have a handle on things at this point, and now a third of the way through the season, it doesn't seem to be looking up.

Other lower-tier NBA teams will especially be hoping LA figures things out, with several potentially vying for top picks of their own.