3 LA Clippers Who Won't Be Back Next Season

The Los Angeles Clippers were finally fully healthy for a playoff run, and Kawhi Leonard was doing his best to channel his 2019 Playoff Kawhi self, but it all still wasn't enough for the Clips to make any noise in the playoffs. Down they went in Game 7 to the Denver Nuggets this past weekend.

Kawhi has shown, finally, in his 6th season in LA, that he can stay healthy for a postseason series. James Harden had perhaps his best season in years as the point man, and supporting players like Norman Powell and Ivica Zubac had career years.

So what comes next for the Clippers? Changes will need to be made, so let's start by having a look at three players who almost certainly won't be back next season.

Ben Simmons

The former All-Star, All-NBA and All-Defensive team member (yes, that was all a long, long time ago), Simmons was brought in on the buyout market by the Clippers. After a couple of short runs of getting some minutes for stretches to see what he can do, the Australian saw his court time diminish significantly down the stretch, and then became a complete afterthought in the playoffs, with single-digit minutes in the 5 games that he played, scoring a total of just four points with only 4 total assists.

As a free agent, not only will he be gone from the Clippers, but it's reasonable to assume that his days as an NBA player could mercifully be at an end.

Amir Coffey

The 27-year-old, who has spent his entire six-year career with the team, actually had his best regular season, at 9.7 points while shooting 40.9% from long range. But his minutes and production tumbled near the end of the season, and he wound up not even cracking the lineup in the playoffs, as a DNP-CD for the entire series. As a free agent, his $4 million or so could be better used towards a piece that the coaches trust when it matters.

Patty Mills

The 36-year-old guard's best days are long behind him. He was acquired in a deadline trade from the Utah Jazz. Mills has an NBA championship on his resume, from his days as a vital player with the San Antonio Spurs in 2013-14. He remained a key cog there for another seven seasons, but has bounced around among five different teams in the last four years. He was barely utilized by the Clippers, playing just five minutes a game in a dozen contests. He was a complete non-factor in the playoffs.

As a free agent, if he is done, it was a terrific 16-year career for the Australian guard, but if he does try to play another season, it's highly doubtful it would be with the Clips.