Mathurin is a restricted free agent coming off a career year, and bringing him back makes too much sense to pass up.
The Los Angeles Clippers have spent the last five months pulling their roster apart and starting over.
They traded James Harden to Cleveland for Darius Garland in February, shipped Ivica Zubac to Indiana for Mathurin and what became the fifth overall pick, and then moved Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors last week for Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, and draft capital.
After finishing 42-40 and getting bounced from the play-in round by Golden State, the front office is now fully committed to building around Garland and rookie guard Keaton Wagler.
Whether Mathurin will be part of that next chapter is the biggest remaining question, and the answer should be pretty simple.
The Guard Depth After Sanders and Miller
The Clippers locked up Kobe Sanders on a four-year, $11.2 million deal and brought back Jordan Miller on a three-year, $15.3 million contract early in free agency.
Both moves were smart and cheap, but neither player is the type of scorer who can take over when the starters sit.
Sanders averaged 7.3 points per game across 68 appearances last season while Miller posted 10.0 in 60 games, and those numbers paint two solid role players who work best as connectors rather than go-to options.
Behind Garland, the guard rotation sits at Wagler, Kris Dunn, Sanders, Cam Christie, Miller, and Dick from the Leonard trade.
There is useful depth in that group, but none of those players can create their own shot the way Mathurin can when the offense goes cold.
Why Mathurin Fits the Direction
Mathurin posted a career-high 17.6 points per game this season between Indiana and Los Angeles, adding 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists across 54 games.
He dropped 38 in his Clippers home debut against Denver and told reporters after the play-in loss that Los Angeles already feels like home.
The three-point shooting needs work after he connected on just 20.7 percent from deep as a Clipper, but the scoring ability and willingness to attack the rim are hard to find on the open market at his price point.
At 24, he fits the younger timeline the front office mapped out after trading Leonard to Toronto.
The Money Lines Up
Reports have placed Mathurin's market somewhere around three years and $50 million, which lines up with what the Clippers can handle now that Leonard's $50.3 million salary is off the books.
As a restricted free agent, Los Angeles can match any offer sheet he signs elsewhere, and with teams like the Bulls, Lakers, and Nets sitting on cap space, letting this drag out carries real risk.
The front office has already stepped back from chasing Peyton Watson with that money, which says plenty about where Mathurin sits on the priority list.
Locking him up gives Los Angeles a young scorer who wants to be here alongside Garland and Wagler, and in a summer where the organization is rebuilding nearly everything, keeping a player like that feels like the right call.
