Trent Redden opened media day by saying sorry to Clippers fans and laid out how the team plans to move forward.
The first words from the Los Angeles Clippers front office at media day on Monday were an apology.
Trent Redden, who is now the team's interim president of basketball operations, sat next to head coach Ty Lue at Intuit Dome and read a prepared statement to fans who had been waiting weeks to hear from the basketball side of the team.
What Redden Said
Redden began by admitting the team should have spoken to its fans sooner than it did, and he did not try to dress it up with any excuses.
"Our fans deserved to hear from us before this, and for that we're sorry," Redden said, according to Yahoo Sports.
He went on to say the team has been listening to the concerns of its fans, that their pain is real and that the Clippers hope to earn back their trust.
When asked about the details of the case, Redden said owner Steve Ballmer's comments and statement will speak for the organization, per Sports Illustrated.
Why the Clippers Needed to Say It
It was the harshest punishment the NBA has ever handed down.
On Sept. 2, the NBA announced that the Clippers broke the league's salary cap circumvention rules in a case involving forward Kawhi Leonard.
The team was fined $30 million and must forfeit five first-round picks, one in each draft from 2029 through 2033.
Ballmer was suspended for one year, and president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank was suspended without pay for six months, which is why Redden, who had been the general manager, is now running basketball operations.
Mark Hughes has stepped in as interim general manager.
Leonard is gone too.
The Clippers finished the trade that sent him to Toronto on Sept. 14, getting back forward Brandon Ingram, guard Gradey Dick and two first-round picks.
An apology does not fix any of that, but fans had watched the league hand down a shocking punishment and then heard very little from the basketball side for weeks, so saying sorry in public was the right place to start.
What Comes Next
Redden admitted the team cannot use a pile of future picks to go get a star, but he pointed to cap space next summer and player development as paths forward.
He also shared that Ingram, who has a partially torn Achilles tendon found during heel surgery in May, will not be ready for the start of the season.
That leaves guard Darius Garland, Lue and a banged-up roster to carry a team that went 42-40 last season.
Lue said Ballmer has been great to him and that his loyalty to him is to the end, which is a good sign for a franchise that has looked like chaos from the outside.
Training camp starts Tuesday in Hawaii, and the Clippers face the Golden State Warriors in Honolulu on Oct. 4 before opening the regular season at home against Sacramento on Oct. 21.
Rebuilding trust will take more than one press conference, and with Ingram out, it will come down to whether this roster plays hard on nights when it is overmatched.
