The Clippers have a lot of questions to answer.
The Los Angeles Clippers walked into Intuit Dome on April 15 with a chance to salvage a season that once looked dead, and they walked out watching Stephen Curry celebrate again.
Golden State stole a 126-121 win in the Play-In Tournament, wiping out a 13-point fourth-quarter lead and sending LA home earlier than anyone wanted.
The Clippers finished 42-40 while the Warriors closed at 37-45, a strange ending to a stranger year that started 6-21 and somehow turned respectable.
Now the front office has real thinking to do, and none of those decisions will come easy.
Keep Ty Lue, No Discussion Needed
A head coach who inherits a 6-21 team and finishes above .500 probably deserves a parade rather than a pink slip.
Tyronn Lue did exactly that while steering the locker room through injuries, midseason trades, and an ongoing NBA investigation without ever losing the group.
The Clippers already gave him a vote of confidence after the loss, and rightly so, because there's no replacement on the open market who does more with this particular roster.
Kawhi Leonard Is Not Going Anywhere
Trade rumors will follow Kawhi Leonard all summer, and the Clippers should ignore most of them.
He averaged 27.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.6 assists on 50.5 percent shooting at age 34, numbers that prove he's got plenty left.
The Clippers built this roster around him and they're not walking away now, especially since moving him doesn't net equal value or get them closer to winning.
Lawrence Frank and Steve Ballmer have made their stance clear, and the plan is to keep winning with Kawhi.
Retain Mathurin and Collins
Bennedict Mathurin gave the Clippers 17.4 points per game after the Zubac trade, highlighted by that 38-point eruption against Denver out of the All-Star break.
As a restricted free agent, the Clippers control the process and should bring him back at a sensible number before another team forces their hand.
John Collins can score, stretch the floor, and slot next to any lineup, averaging 13.6 points and 5.3 rebounds this season as a piece that fits even if he isn't a star.
Losing both would gut the frontcourt rotation before it ever gets properly rebuilt, so paying them both at slight premiums keeps this team competitive heading into next fall.
The Pacers Pick Could Change Everything
If the lottery falls right and the Clippers land Indiana's pick at No. 5 or No. 6 on May 10, they should target a young wing who can score off the dribble and guard multiple positions.
Pairing a rookie like that next to Kawhi and a rebuilt bench gives LA a real runway into the next era.
If the pick stays in the top four, Indiana keeps it while the Clippers walk away with an unprotected 2031 first instead, so either outcome gives the front office a genuine asset.
The loss stings and the summer won't be quiet, but this franchise has more options than that 6-21 start ever suggested.