The Clippers are keeping trust in their front office.
The Los Angeles Clippers left everyone for dead after a disastrous 6-21 start to the 2025-26 season, but the front office never lost faith in the man at the top.
President of basketball operations Lawrence Frank has agreed to a multiyear contract extension with the team, according to multiple league sources who spoke with The Athletic.
While the exact terms have not been disclosed, the deal is believed to be for four years and comes at a time when the Clippers have completely flipped their season around in stunning fashion.
Frank has been with the Clippers since 2014 and was promoted to the top basketball operations role by owner Steve Ballmer in 2017, and under his leadership, the team has posted a record above .500 every single season since then.
That streak includes six trips to the playoffs and one Western Conference Finals appearance, and his fingerprints are all over the roster moves that have shaped this current era of Clippers basketball.
He was named NBA Executive of the Year in 2020 for his work in building a contender, and now the organization is rewarding him for sticking with this group through one of the roughest stretches in recent memory.
A Remarkable Turnaround
The timing of this extension speaks volumes about what the Clippers have accomplished over the past five weeks.
After falling to 6-21 on December 20 following a brutal 2-13 record in November, Los Angeles has rattled off 16 wins in their last 19 games to improve to 22-24 on the season.
That run is the best mark in the entire NBA during that stretch, and it has pushed the Clippers from 13th place all the way up to 10th in the Western Conference where they now sit just three games back of the eighth-place Golden State Warriors.
The resurgence has been fueled by the play of stars Kawhi Leonard and James Harden, who have both been playing at elite levels when healthy.
Leonard is averaging 27.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game this season while shooting 49.8 percent from the field, and since December 20 he has been on an absolute tear posting 31.8 points per game during the hot streak.
Harden has been equally impressive with 25.4 points and 8.1 assists per game on the year, and the duo has combined to average over 55 points per game during this remarkable run.
Ballmer's Commitment to Continuity
Owner Steve Ballmer made his intentions clear back in December when reports surfaced that Frank and his senior staff were on track for contract extensions despite the team's poor start and aging roster.
At the time the move seemed questionable to some observers who wondered if a change might be needed, but Ballmer emphasized ownership's commitment to continuity and keeping the band together through the tough times.
"I put together that roster," Frank said back in early December when the team was struggling. "It starts at the top with me."
That accountability resonated with the organization, and now the results on the court have validated the decision to stay the course with Frank at the helm.
The Clippers capped their recent surge with a 115-103 victory over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, a game that served as the ultimate revenge for their embarrassing 21-point blowout loss to Utah on opening night.
Leonard led the way with 21 points while Harden stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points and 10 assists, and the win marked their ninth victory in their last 10 games while showing just how far this team has come since those dark early days.
Looking ahead, the extension signals that the Clippers will continue building around Harden and Leonard with head coach Ty Lue running the show on the sidelines.
The trio has been in lockstep throughout this entire process, and now they have a chance to prove that this turnaround is the real deal as they push for a playoff spot in a crowded Western Conference.