Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ president of basketball operations, initially thought the team’s biggest move before the NBA’s trade deadline would be bringing back Kawhi Leonard. However, after assessing his roster, he realized that Leonard’s return alone wouldn’t be enough. Frank then shifted his focus to improving the bench for the final stretch of the regular season.
In the past week, the Clippers added Bogdan Bogdanovic, Patty Mills, Drew Eubanks, and MarJon Beauchamp, with a few more moves possibly coming. “We feel really good that we improved our team on the margins, which is very important,” Frank said before Saturday’s game against the Utah Jazz. “We had to address some different positions and skillset needs, and we feel good about the guys that we added.”
The Clippers acquired Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland. Frank has been a fan of Bogdanovic for a long time, even though the 32-year-old guard has struggled with his shooting this season.
Bogdanovic has averaged 10 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2 assists in 24 games for the Hawks this season. He hasn’t played since January 25 due to personal reasons, but he could debut for the Clippers on Wednesday against Memphis.
“We’re a little light on shooting, and Bogdan gives us not just shooting but good size at the position. He’s a quick processor of the game,” Frank said about the 6-foot-5 guard.
Bogdanovic helped Serbia win a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. He’s shooting just 37.1% from the field this season, below his career average of 43.5%. Frank believes it’s simply a case of bad shooting luck after reviewing his game.
“We’re well-versed in his game. With the way coach Tyronn Lue plays and Bogdanovic’s game, it is going to be a good fit. He is a tough competitor,” Frank said. “We’re very confident that as long as he stays healthy, he will be a positive contributor for us.”
Kawhi Leonard tries to get past RJ Barrett in the 1st halfBeauchamp was acquired from Milwaukee for guard/forward Kevin Porter Jr. on Friday. He is a 6-foot-7 forward with potential, although he hasn’t had many chances with the Bucks. Beauchamp averaged 2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 26 games this season. Frank is curious to see how Beauchamp develops with more opportunities.
Mills and Eubanks, acquired from Utah on February 1 for P.J. Tucker and Mo Bamba, add bench flexibility for the Clippers.
Despite losing three straight games before facing the Jazz, the Clippers sat in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 28-23 record. Many had not expected the Clippers to compete for a playoff spot this season after Paul George joined Philadelphia and Leonard missed the first 34 games due to a right knee injury.
“We know what our long-term strategy is, but also our short-term strategy is to be as competitive as we can possibly be and give ourselves a chance to go as far as we possibly can,” Frank said.
One player Frank didn’t mention is Ben Simmons, who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday after agreeing to a buyout. ESPN reported that Simmons plans to sign with the Clippers once he clears waivers.
“We’ve been fortunate in the buyout market. You look at Nico (Batum), Reggie Jackson, and Russ (Russell Westbrook), those guys had a huge impact,” Frank said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve always been a destination for buyout guys. Guys love playing for coach Tyronn Lue, they’ve fallen in love with the franchise. So we’ll look at the buyout market and see how we can address some additional needs that we have.”
