Is the Clippers season salvageable?
The Los Angeles Clippers entered the 2025-26 season with championship hopes after assembling the oldest roster in NBA history, but instead they're experiencing arguably the worst stretch in their 56-year franchise history.
At 6-19 and sitting 14th in the Western Conference, this team is in crisis.
A Historic Collapse
The Clippers went just 2-13 in November, which many consider the worst month in franchise history given the expectations entering the season.
For a team that went 50-32 last season and pushed the Denver Nuggets to seven games in the playoffs, this collapse is stunning.
The problems run deep.
Their defense, which finished third in defensive rating last year behind center Ivica Zubac, has cratered to 25th in the league.
They don't get back in transition, can't defend the three-point line, and struggle to rebound.
The Houston Loss and Postgame Fallout
Thursday night's 115-113 loss to the Houston Rockets summed up everything wrong with this team.
Despite strong performances from their stars — James Harden scored 22 points against his former team, Kawhi Leonard added 24 in a season-high 41 minutes, and Zubac had 33 points on 13-of-14 shooting — the Clippers couldn't close it out.
Houston outrebounded them 51-28, and Amen Thompson's tip-in with 17 seconds left sealed it, marking their eighth defeat in nine games.
What happened after the game made things worse. Reports emerged that head coach Tyronn Lue wasn't made available for his postgame press conference.
Yahoo Sports reporter Kelly Iko stated the Clippers declined to make him available, while the team claimed Lue went to the interview room but nobody was there.
Trade Rumors Heating Up
With the season spiraling, trade talk has picked up around the team's three best players.
According to reports, Zubac has received the most interest of any Clipper entering December, with multiple playoff teams calling about the 28-year-old center who's averaging 15.9 points and 11.6 rebounds while shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.
However, the Clippers reportedly don't want to move Zubac, which means they may have to listen to offers for Harden and Leonard instead.
One Eastern Conference scout told ESPN that Harden has "maybe neutral value" while Leonard has "negative value" due to the ongoing salary cap investigation tied to his endorsement deal with Aspiration.
Leonard has also missed 11 games and played in just 14 of the team's 25 contests.
What Comes Next
The Clippers face a brutal reality: they owe their 2026 unprotected first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder, meaning every loss makes the defending champions even more dangerous.
Owner Steve Ballmer has never gone into rebuilding mode since buying the team in 2014, but this roster of aging veterans clearly isn't working.
At 6-19 with no clear path forward, the problems in Inglewood are just beginning.