Los Angeles Clippers Rumors

Injury Notes: Beal, Giddey, Harris, Adebayo, Curry

November 10th, 2025 at 10:49pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers are concerned that Bradley Beal could miss extended time with a left hip injury, head coach Tyronn Lue told reporters prior to Monday’s game vs. Atlanta (Twitter link via Justin Russo). Beal is currently undergoing tests to determine the severity of the injury, which was initially described as left hip soreness, tweets Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints.

According to Kellan Olson of ArizonaSports.com (Twitter link), Beal said on Friday in Phoenix that he’s been dealing with an unspecified injury since last season, when he was a member of the Suns.

Beal, 32, has battled a variety of injuries over the past several years, having played between 40 and 60 games each of the past six seasons.

In other Clippers news, John Collins received his first start with his new team on Monday. Lue said he plans to stick with Collins in the starting lineup “for a while,” per Russo (Twitter video link).

“We’ve been struggling rebounding the basketball, and career, statistically, he’s been a really good rebounder,” Lue said of the Collins, who will be an unrestricted free agent next summer if he doesn’t sign a veteran extension.

Here are a few more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

While Josh Giddey missed Monday’s loss to San Antonio, head coach Billy Donovan said the Bulls don’t have any long-term concerns about his right ankle sprain, as Jamal Collier of ESPN relays. “We don’t feel like it’s anything too severe with his ankle,” Donovan said. “He didn’t have really much swelling after the game [Saturday]. He got some [treatment] yesterday and was just a little bit uncomfortable today at shootaround.” Giddey is considered day-to-day, according to Donovan.
Pistons forward Tobias Harris is making progress from his high right ankle sprain, but there’s still no official timetable for his return, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said on Monday (Twitter links via Hunter Patterson of The Athletic and Omari Sankofa II of The Detroit Free Press). Harris, who missed his fifth straight game tonight against Washington, will be a free agent in 2026.
Five-time All-Defensive big man Bam Adebayo was ruled out for the third consecutive Heat game on Monday vs. Cleveland, notes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 28-year-old forward/center was diagnosed with a sprained left big toe on Thursday after undergoing an MRI. Adebayo is considered day-to-day.
Warriors superstar Stephen Curry (illness) was out again on Sunday during the win over Indiana, but he’s not on the injury report ahead of Tuesday’s game at Oklahoma City, as Anthony Slater of ESPN tweets. The 37-year-old guard contracted the illness last week and wound up missing three games, Slater writes for ESPN.com.

Kawhi Leonard Sidelined For "The Next Few Games"

November 8th, 2025 at 11:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said Kawhi Leonard will miss “the next few games” with a sprained right ankle, according to The Associated Press. Lue didn’t provide any specifics about Leonard’s condition, but he stated that medical tests are indicating it won’t be a prolonged absence.

Leonard Out Again Saturday; Lue Preaching Patience Amid Slow Start

November 7th, 2025 at 10:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Suns forward Dillon Brooks is questionable for Saturday’s rematch against the Clippers in Los Angeles, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Brooks has missed the past six games with a core muscle strain. Kawhi Leonard will miss his third straight game for the Clips as he continues to battle a right ankle sprain, Murray adds.
The Clippers have gotten off to a rocky start — they hold a 3-5 record after being dominated by the Suns on Thursday. Head coach Tyronn Lue is preaching patience with some new faces on the roster, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register relays. “We really haven’t had the chance to get to our full potential as far as lineups and things like that,” Lue said. “So, we just gotta be patient, let our guys get healthy and then we’ll see.”

Bradley Beal Criticizes Usage With Suns In Return To Phoenix

November 7th, 2025 at 12:45pm CST by Arthur Hill

After getting a hostile reception from Phoenix fans on Thursday night, Clippers guard Bradley Beal indicated that he doesn’t have fond memories of his two years with the Suns, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.

Beal was booed during pregame introductions and again each time he touched the ball during a 13-point loss. He turned in his worst performance of the season, finishing with five points in 19 minutes on 2-of-14 shooting before being removed from the game with 6:02 left in the third quarter.

A prolific scorer in Washington, Beal was supposed to form a Big Three along with Devin Booker and Kevin Durant when the Suns acquired him from the Wizards during the 2023 offseason. Injuries limited him to 53 games during both of his seasons in Phoenix, and his reported refusal to waive his no-trade clause limited the Suns’ ability to alter their roster and made him an unpopular figure with fans.

Beal contends he was never properly used by head coaches Frank Vogel or Mike Budenholzer during his time in Phoenix.

“When you allow me to be that guy, I’ll be that,” Beal said. “But when you have two coaches that want you to set screens and play in the dunker, you’re not Brad Beal. You’re somebody else.”

Beal had two years and $110MM remaining on his contract, but he and the Suns were both eager to end their relationship after two frustrating seasons. He agreed to give back $13.9MM as part of a buyout agreement during the summer and joined the Clippers on a two-year, $11MM deal that includes a player option.

He told reporters that he didn’t feel he had anything to prove in his return to Phoenix, pointing out that the Clippers scored a decisive win over the Suns earlier in the season.

“To me, it wasn’t about get back,” Beal said. “We whooped y’all a couple weeks ago. So it wasn’t like, you know, I don’t think it’s about that. For me, it was — no disrespect to Phoenix — but it was more meaningful for me to go back to D.C. and play, after being there for 11 years and that’s my franchise, you know? I feel like I was more geeked about that than coming back here. There’s no disrespect … but they have their way how they feel.”

Injury issues have continued to hamper Beal as he tries to establish himself with another new franchise. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee during the offseason and remains on a minutes restriction. He hasn’t exceeded 22 minutes or played in the fourth quarter yet this season, but coach Tyronn Lue remains confident that he’ll eventually be a reliable scorer once he’s back to full health.

Beal emphasized that he has no hard feelings toward Phoenix fans or the organization, and he displayed that by signing autographs after Thursday’s game and embracing his former teammates, according to Murray. He won’t have to wait long to see them again, as the Suns will travel to Los Angeles for a rematch Saturday night.

“That’s basketball — we wouldn’t be pros if we couldn’t be mentally tough enough to move on to the next game or be mentally tough to move on to the next play,” Beal said. “It happens, man. It’s going to be games dudes might not make a shot. Might not get a rebound. But how you bounce back and how you respond to that is a testament to your character, who you are as a player. So, see you Saturday.”

Clippers Owner Steve Ballmer Sued By Aspiration Investors

November 4th, 2025 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Eleven former Aspiration investors have sued Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, alleging that he used the company to circumvent the NBA salary cap to pay star forward Kawhi Leonard, reports investigative journalist and podcaster Pablo Torre.

According to Colin Salao of Front Office Sports, those investors initially filed suit against Aspiration co-founder Joseph Sanberg and the company – which is now known as Catona – in July, well before Torre began reporting on Ballmer’s investments and Leonard’s apparent “no-show” endorsement deal. The Clippers owner was added to the lawsuit as a defendant on Monday in the wake of that reporting.

“It served Ballmer’s interest in getting extra money to Leonard so he could circumvent the salary cap, beat out the competition and re-sign his team’s superstar player,” the plaintiffs state in their suit. “Ballmer was complicit in and aided and abetted Sanberg’s fraud for his own self-serving purpose. Ballmer publicly endorsed Catona and infused over $50 million into the company. Absent Ballmer’s support, Catona could not have sustained the frauds set forth herein.”

The NBA is currently conducting its own investigation into the accusations of cap circumvention levied against the Clippers, having hired the law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz to lead that probe.

While the NBA’s investigation is focused on possible violations of the league’s own rules, the lawsuit – filed in Los Angeles – is about recouping losses for investors defrauded by Sanberg, who recently pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of wire fraud. Skip Miller, an Aspiration investor also serving as counsel for the plaintiffs, issued the following statement to Torre:

“A lot of people have been hurt here. This lawsuit is being brought to recoup their losses. We look forward to our day in court where everything will be aired out and justice will be done.”

For what it’s worth, the allegations made about Ballmer in the lawsuit appear to be based on reporting by Torre and other outlets — the suit doesn’t include a smoking gun or any new revelations. However, it could lead to more new information about the Clippers’ owner’s connection to the company surfacing as the legal process plays out.

“Plaintiffs allege that Ballmer transferred other funds to Catona to keep the company afloat and buy Sanberg’s support, cooperation and silence about the secret deal with Leonard,” the lawsuit reads, per Torre. “The full extent of Ballmer’s transfers of funds to Catona and Sanberg will be ascertained in discovery.”

Injury Notes: Luka, Giannis, Young, Holmgren, Beal, Sixers

October 30th, 2025 at 10:03pm CST by Rory Maher

After missing the past three games with finger and leg injuries, Lakers superstar Luka Doncic has been listed as questionable for Friday’s matchup at Memphis, as Khobi Price of The Southern California News Group relays.

It has been five days since the Lakers stated that the Slovenian guard would be reevaluated in about a week, though Price notes the actual left finger sprain occurred a week ago vs. Minnesota. Head coach JJ Redick said ahead of Wednesday’s win that the swelling in Doncic’s finger had subsided somewhat.

Free agent addition Marcus Smart, who has missed the past two games with a quadriceps contusion, is also questionable for Friday’s contest, Price adds.

Here are some more injury-related notes from around the NBA:

Superstar Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was a surprise scratch on Thursday against Golden State after being listed as probable in the lead-up to the game, notes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Despite being down their best player, the Bucks defeated the Warriors behind a career night from guard Ryan Rollins, who finished with 32 points (on 13-of-21 shooting), eight assists and five rebounds, tweets Eric Nehm of The Athletic. As ESPN’s Anthony Slater notes (via Twitter), it was a revenge game of sorts for Rollins, who was drafted by and later traded by Golden State. The former second-round pick had a big game on Tuesday as well, recording 25 points (on 8-of-11 shooting), four assists and four steals in 26 minutes.
Star point guard Trae Young will be sidelined for Friday’s game in Indiana due to a right knee sprain, the Hawks announced (via Twitter). Young was reportedly scheduled to undergo an MRI today after he exited Wednesday’s game with the injury, which occurred late in the first quarter when a teammate was pushed and fell into his knee (Twitter video link).
Thunder big man Chet Holmgren was off to an excellent start this season before lower back soreness sidelined him for both Tuesday’s win vs. Sacramento and Thursday’s victory over Washington. Head coach Mark Daigneault said there are no long-term concerns with Holmgren’s back issue, per Jeff Patterson and Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (subscriber link). “He’s where he should be,” Daigneault said before Thursday’s game. “We’re being conservative with him. If he was, obviously, perfect he would play tonight. But we’ll go through the process that we always go through.”
After missing the past two games with a sore back, Clippers guard Bradley Beal will be active for Friday’s contest vs. New Orleans, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic. Beal opened the season on a minutes restriction due to offseason knee surgery.
Although Jared McCain (thumb surgery) and Paul George (knee surgery) participated in the Sixers‘ practice on Thursday, both players will remain sidelined for Friday’s matchup against Boston, according to Tim Bontemps of ESPN (Twitter link). In case you missed it, the 76ers picked up McCain’s third-year option on Thursday.

Latest On Chauncey Billups

October 30th, 2025 at 8:42pm CST by Rory Maher

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been placed on unpaid leave by the NBA after being arrested as part of a federal investigation into an illegal poker operation with ties to the mafia.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, Billups has hired renowned defense attorney Marc Mukasey to represent him.

As Amick writes, Mukasey is a former prosecutor from New York who is well-known for taking on high-profile white-collar cases, including acting as an attorney in recent years for U.S. President Donald Trump. Mukasey is the son of former U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey, Amick adds.

Billups was arraigned last week in federal court on one count of wire-fraud conspiracy and one count of money-laundering conspiracy. His next next court date is November 24 in Brooklyn, New York.

The attorney who represented Billups at last week’s arraignment in Portland said the 49-year-old disputes the charges.

Former NBA big man Tiago Splitter is serving as Portland’s interim head coach while Billups’ legal situation plays out.

Here’s more on Billups:

While he wasn’t charged or named in the separate but related illegal sports betting case that resulted in the arrest of Terry Rozier, Billups fits the description of Co-Conspirator 8, who allegedly tipped of Eric “Spook” Earnest that the Blazers would go into tank mode ahead of a game on March 24, 2023. Carson Kessler and Nathan Fenno of The Athletic take a look at how Billups may have gotten to know Earnest, who is one of three people indicted in both cases. As the authors note, the 53-year-old Earnest had multiple extended stints in prison after pleading guilty to or being found guilty of various felony charges in unrelated legal cases.
People around the Blazers and the league have been stunned by Billups’ indictment, writes Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. One such person is Billups’ former head coach with the Pistons, Larry Brown, who has been texting the Hall-of-Fame guard nearly every day over the past week. “He would be one of the last people I would think about involving himself with bad people,” Brown told ESPN. “If you talked to anybody that was involved with Chauncey, that spent time with him and knew his family, knew his kids, I think they’d be saying the same thing.” An unnamed associate whom Shelburne describes as close to Billups said they “didn’t even know” Billups gambled and that they’re concerned for the coach’s well being. “The thing that scares me for Chauncey is that he’s dealing with these mob guys,” the person said. “If this is true, if he set people up. … It could get nasty.”
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue refers to Billups as his best friend and the two have known each other since they were teenagers. Lue says he has spoken to Billups since he was indicted, as Shelburne relays. “When you’ve known somebody so long, you can just tell by their voice — if he’s OK,” Lue said. “Like I said, he’s confident in what’s going on. The toughest part just for him, just like his family going through with his daughters. But other than that, he’s really confident about the situation. So just hearing his voice, I can just see that he’s OK. So that was good to hear.”

Clippers Declining Kobe Brown’s 2026/27 Option

October 30th, 2025 at 4:52pm CST by Rory Maher

The Clippers have decided to decline their 2026/27 rookie scale team option on forward Kobe Brown, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype (via Twitter).

The move will make Brown an unrestricted free agent during the 2026 offseason, assuming he plays out the current season without being waived. The Clippers – or Brown’s new team, if he’s traded prior to February’s deadline – would not be permitted next summer to offer him a starting salary exceeding $4,792,058, which is the amount of the ’26/27 option being declined.

Brown, who played four years of college ball at Missouri, was the 30th overall pick in the 2023 draft. He will make $2,654,880 this season, which is his third in the NBA.

The 25-year-old combo forward hasn’t received much playing time with Los Angeles to this point in his career, making 84 appearances and averaging 7.9 minutes per game through two seasons. He has appeared in three games with the Clippers so far this fall, averaging just 4.7 MPG.

While his NBA role has been very modest, Brown has been a featured player at the G League level the past two years in the instances when he has been sent down for more reps. In six games (33.3 MPG) with the San Diego Clippers in 2024/25, Brown averaged 21.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.7 steals on .474/.366/.800 shooting.

We’re tracking all of this year’s rookie scale team option decisions right here.

Clippers Notes: Beal, Collins, Sanders, Paul

October 29th, 2025 at 5:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Clippers signed Bradley Beal to replace the scoring punch they lost when they traded Norman Powell to Miami, but physical issues have prevented Beal from filling that role early in the season. He missed his second straight game with back soreness Tuesday night, and L.A. managed only 79 points in a loss to Golden State. The offense looked stagnant as the Clippers recorded just 10 assists for only the second time since Tyronn Lue became head coach, writes Law Murray of The Athletic.

“We are missing a key component, which is Bradley Beal, who gives us a shooter, a guy who can play-make, a guy who can handle the basketball as well,” Lue said. “You add to the mix, it does make us better.”

Beal began the season on a minutes restriction while recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and was limited to 11 total points in the team’s first two games. Bogdan Bogdanovic is taking Beal’s place in the starting lineup, but he’s off to a terrible shooting start, connecting at 11.1% from the field and averaging just 1.0 PPG.

The malaise on offense is affecting several players, including offseason addition John Collins, who was limited to five points Tuesday night on 2-0f-6 shooting.

“Sometimes, it’s like that ball’s not moving as much. It’s a little bit sticky sometimes,” Collins said. “Another side of that is getting stops. Maybe we get stops and get in transition, get easy buckets. That just helps slow the game down a little bit. … A little bit of stagnation on our end. Gotta make it work.”

There’s more on the Clippers:

While he’s off to a slow start, Collins has added a new dimension to the team as a mobile 6’9″ forward who can score, notes Janis Carr of The Orange County Register. Having the extra size on the front line creates mismatches for opponents. “We get a big player like John on the floor, alongside Kawhi (Leonard) and teams have a nightmare as far as matching up,” Lue said. “You want to put a smaller guy on John, or a smaller guy on Kawhi? … (Collins’) versatility on both sides of the basketball is a huge thing for us.”
Second-round pick Kobe Sanders is week-to-week with a sprained right knee, a source tells Murray (Twitter link). There’s hope he can return in December, but Murray notes that he’s already the team’s second injured two-way player, joining Jordan Miller, who’s sidelined with a hamstring issue.
In an interview with Marc J. Spears of Andscape, Chris Paul says he feels fortunate to be back with the Clippers this late in his career and he hasn’t decided whether he’ll keep playing beyond this season.

Clippers Notes: Beal, Miller, Paul, Depth, Aspiration

October 24th, 2025 at 7:50pm CST by Rory Maher

Veteran guard Bradley Beal signed a two-year contract with the Clippers this summer after a disappointing two-year run with the Suns ended in a buyout. The former All-Star said earlier this week that he already feels at home in Los Angeles, as Janis Carr of The Orange County Register writes.

“It’s weird. It feels like I’ve been here for a few years; I feel that comfortable with the group,” Beal said Monday. “They welcomed me in that way too and just made me feel at home and it’s been great, man.”

Beal and the Clippers will face Phoenix in Friday’s home opener after L.A. was shockingly — and thoroughly — dominated in Wednesday’s season-opening loss in Utah. The 32-year-old is on a minutes restriction after undergoing arthroscopic right knee surgery during the offseason, tweets Law Murray of The Athletic.

Here’s more on the Clippers:

Third-year forward Jordan Miller is dealing with left hamstring soreness and will be reevaluated in about a week, Murray adds. Miller, the 48th overall pick of the 2023 draft, is on a two-way contract with the Clippers.
Chris Paul will make his Clippers homecoming on Friday after several years away from the organization, but don’t expect him to get swept up in the emotions of the moment, according to Carr. “I’ll definitely be happy and grateful to be here, but I’d be too locked in to really process what’s all happening,” the 40-year-old point guard said this week. Paul, a future Hall of Famer, signed a one-year deal with the Clips in free agency after spending last season in San Antonio.
As Murray writes for The Athletic, the Clippers are relatively long in the tooth, but they have a talented and deep roster, which may be challenging for head coach Tyronn Lue to navigate, given his preference for using nine-man rotations. “It feels good to have so many options and a lot of different combinations,” Lue said. “And every night could be different; every night is gonna be different. But it’s gonna take us 15, 20 games into the season to really understand our rotations, our chemistry, how we wanna play, who fits well together. So, I’m excited about that.” When the team is at full strength, Murray views Bogdan Bogdanovic and Nicolas Batum as the most likely veterans to be out of the rotation.
Robert O’Connor and Harriet Ryan of The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) take an in-depth look at Aspiration co-founder Joe Sanberg and the allegations that the Clippers used the now-bankrupt “green bank” company to circumvent the salary cap via a lucrative no-show endorsement deal with Kawhi Leonard. According to the WSJ, Sanberg told a high-ranking Aspiration executive the Clippers initiated the idea of the endorsement contract with Leonard, who was injured at the time. “This is important to the Clippers,” the executive recalled Sanberg saying. While some top Aspiration officials understandably had significant reservations about the deal, they purportedly did not question whether it was a means for owner Steve Ballmer and the Clippers to bypass the cap, per O’Connor and Ryan.