Los Angeles spent this August saying goodbye to one wing and bringing in another.
Bennedict Mathurin is gone from the Los Angeles Clippers, and Max Strus took over his old spot on the wing.
Both moves landed within three weeks of each other this August.
The Clippers rescinded Mathurin's 8.8 million dollar qualifying offer on August 29, clearing the way for a two year, 16 million dollar deal he had already agreed to with the New Orleans Pelicans.
No pick or player came back to Los Angeles in return.
He simply walked as an unrestricted free agent, and that stings more given how he first arrived.
What the Clippers Actually Gave Up
Back in February, the Clippers sent starting center Ivica Zubac and Kobe Brown to Indiana and got Mathurin, Isaiah Jackson, and three draft picks in return.
Mathurin was the headline piece of that return, a former lottery pick scoring at a career high clip in Indiana at the time.
Six months later he is gone for nothing, and that is a real loss even with the picks and Jackson on hand to soften it.
There are some Clippers players who stand to gain the most run because of it, and the answer starts with the internal minutes battle a young roster needs more than another scorer on an expiring deal.
Where Max Strus Fits in the Rotation
Strus arrived days later in a five team trade with Cleveland, with the Clippers sending the draft rights to Ismael Kamagate to the Cavaliers and a 2027 second round pick to Washington.
President of Basketball Operations Lawrence Frank said, "We are going to be a highly competitive team this season and Max will be a big part of it. He is a great shooter with good feel who can handle and pass. Max competes on both ends of the court and his versatility allows him to play different roles with different groups. He fits anywhere and we're excited to bring him to L.A."
Strus is a career 37.0 percent three point shooter across seven seasons in Chicago, Miami and Cleveland, and he helped the Cavaliers reach the Eastern Conference Finals this spring.
That shooting and playoff experience is exactly what this wing spot needed, and it pairs well with Darius Garland's push to prove himself as this group's veteran voice.
What These Moves Mean for the West
The Clippers went 42-40 last season and finished ninth in the Western Conference, a play-in spot in a conference with no room for teams standing still.
Losing Mathurin for nothing is a move a front office only makes when it trusts its depth over one more scorer, and adding a proven shooter like Strus for spare parts backs that trust up.
Kawhi Leonard remains the anchor, since a reported deal sending him to Toronto never actually closed, and having him and Garland both healthy changes this roster more than any single trade this summer.
Still, ninth place is ninth place, and swapping a young scorer for a 30 year old shooting specialist will not turn a play-in team into a top four seed by itself.
The Clippers look sturdier and more experienced than they did a month ago.
Whether that holds up in a West full of teams making similar bets is what training camp will start to answer.
