The Los Angeles Clippers may have an 11-21 record, but the team reportedly doesn’t have plans to conduct a fire sale, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.
“Despite what Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti might be rooting for, team sources say the Clippers have no plans of hosting a fire sale in the next five weeks. With owner Steve Ballmer continuing his eternal mandate to remain competitive, and no first-round pick in 2026 to incentivize a tank job, the Clippers want to climb out of this massive hole they’ve dug for themselves.
“Especially after this recent five-game winning streak that has restored some internal hope.”
The Clippers were 6-21 not long ago, and it looked like this season could go completely off the rails. That would be good news for the Oklahoma City Thunder, who own the Clippers’ first-round draft pick swap rights in 2026 as part of the 2019 Paul George deal.
However, the Clips have since rolled off a dominant five-game win streak. All five wins were by 14 or more points, and the Clippers’ margin of victory per game was 19.2 points. Of course, L.A. still has work to do, but the Clippers are now just two-and-a-half games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the final play-in tournament spot.
Clippers guard James Harden has been fantastic all season by averaging 26.1 points, 7.9 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. As Amick noted, there was speculation on Harden’s future in L.A. given how poorly the team was doing. However, there reportedly isn’t any indication that he’ll be on the move.
“James Harden, in particular, was often discussed in league circles as someone who might want to relocate (again) to a more competitive environment.
“The 36-year-old has complete control over his situation, as his Bird rights contract affords him the right to veto any trade this season (he has a player option worth $42.3 million for next season). Still, team and league sources say there are no signs yet that Harden wants out.”
In the meantime, the Clippers will look to continue their hot streak on Thursday when they host the Utah Jazz.