Will Clippers Regret Letting Bennedict Mathurin Walk in Free Agency?

The beginning of the Los Angeles Clippers' offseason couldn't have gotten off to a better star, but the way it's wrapping up may be a cause for concern. 

The Clippers already have a strong foundation with Darius Garland and Keaton Wagler leading the team and the expectation of a healthy Derrick Jones Jr., a newly-added Rui Hachimura do add to the makings of a promising team as does the prospect of adding Brandon Ingram and Gradey Dick through a still-pending trade of Kawhi Leonard, the Clippers still have a lot of issues they haven't been able to fix. 

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Some of the Clippers biggest missteps in recent weeks have been missing out on Peyton Watson and Bennedict Mathurin in free agency and while Watson was a highly contested target across the league and the Clippers did get some value out of the situation by involving themselves in the multi-team sign-and-trade deal for Watson, losing Mathurin for nothing truly hurts. 

Los Angeles Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) reacts after scoring a basket and drawing the foul against the Toronto Raptors during the second half at Intuit Dome. Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Mathurin came over to the Clippers from the Indiana Pacers last season at the trade deadline, when the Clippers were in the midst of their fire sale of stars and sent Ivica Zubac to Indiana. 

Why Mathurin Was Valuable

Even if trading Zubac was mainly about the draft picks that the Clippers were getting in return, including the 2026 fifth-overall pick that translated into Wagler, Mathurin was still a pleasant addition to the team and would have been a truly impactful wing to have on the team, especially with Jordan Miller out for significant time after undergoing rotator cuff surgery. 

LA Clippers guard-forward Bennedict Mathurin (9) shoots against Sacramento Kings center Maxime Raynaud (42) during the second quarter at Intuit Dome. Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images

Miller was going to be another big piece of the Clippers roster and with him gone, keeping Mauthurin would have been even more critical and Mathurin is still just 24-years-old and would have lined up perfectly with the youth movement that the Clippers are so earnestly pushing for. 

An Incomplete Roster

But losing him at this point, with the roster looking as thin and uncertain as it is when it comes to wings, is a big issue for the Clippers and the fact that they couldn't match the two-year, $16 million offer from the Pelicans, or at least convince Mathurin to stay, is a bad indication of the status of the Clippers in the latter half of the offseason.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Bennedict Mathurin (9) passes the ball against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley (10) during the third quarter at Intuit Dome. Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Clippers still are in a rebuild and have time to further build out the team before the pressure is reapplied to them to truly perform once again, but the completion of that rebuild might not seem as far off if they were able to convince Mathurin to stay in the first place. 

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