{"id":19059,"date":"2026-06-30T20:08:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:08:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19059"},"modified":"2026-06-30T20:08:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T20:08:22","slug":"nba-free-agency-will-clippers-retain-john-collins-bennedict-mathurin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19059","title":{"rendered":"NBA free agency: Will Clippers retain John Collins, Bennedict Mathurin?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

As the free agency negotiation period nears, the Clippers have decisions to make about their roster. Who do they bring back going into next season? Who do they let walk and who will they pursue when negotiations officially begin Tuesday at 3 p.m. PT?<\/p>\n

Read more Kawhi Leonard trade rumors heat up as Clippers prepare for free agency<\/a><\/p>\n

The Clippers have remained adamant that they intend to continue to build their roster around 35-year-old star Kawhi Leonard, so presuming they are not about to ship the two-time NBA Finals MVP somewhere else, their attention this week turns to some of their younger rotation pieces.<\/p>\n

The Clippers have several free agents, starting with forward John Collins, who established himself as a vital piece of their frontcourt after the team traded center Ivica Zubac to the Indiana Pacers in February, and again after rookie center Yanic Konan Niederhauser suffered a season-ending foot injury.<\/p>\n

Niederhauser is not expected to be ready to play until at least January, so the 28-year-old Collins, an unrestricted free agent, could remain a key piece of the Clippers\u2019 frontcourt depending on his asking price this week.<\/p>\n

Before last week\u2019s draft, re-signing wing Bennedict Mathurin, a restricted free agent, looked like a no-brainer. At 24, he brings youthful enthusiasm, the ability to score from anywhere and a willingness to learn.<\/p>\n

But after the Clippers used the No. 5 pick in the first round on Illinois combo guard Keaton Wagler, who can shoot, pass and play defense, to pair alongside point guard Darius Garland, it\u2019s less clear what kind of offers the Clippers would be willing to match to retain Mathurin, who would likely have to come off the bench for them next season.<\/p>\n

On Monday, the Clippers extended a qualifying offer to the former Pac-12 Player of the Year for one year at $8.8 million, giving him the option of playing on that deal before becoming an unrestricted free agent next season unless he wants to seek a better offer elsewhere now, which the Clippers could then consider matching (they would have 48 hours to match any any offer sheet he signs with another team).<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to get incrementally better at those things because he\u2019s a worker,\u201d Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank said of Mathurin\u2019s skill set. \u201cHe has good DNA, and with free agency, he\u2019s a restricted free agent so we have the right to match and at the appropriate time, can we find a deal that works for both sides and that\u2019s how it\u2019s supposed to work.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

\u201cNot just with Benn, but with John (Collins) and anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Clippers also face a decision with the $9.1 million team option they have on veteran center Brook Lopez, who signed the two-year deal last summer.<\/p>\n

Read more USC star JuJu Watkins back on the court ahead of Trojans\u2019 50th season<\/a><\/p>\n

If Lopez departs, it would leave the team (at least temporarily) without a seasoned center to begin next season. Niederhauser will be rehabbing into the winter, and 6-11 Spanish rookie Baba Miller needs time to get up to speed, even if he offers long-term upside as a frontcourt presence.<\/p>\n

Lopez is a natural solution, but at 38, he no longer has the mobility and athleticism that made him the NBA\u2019s Defensive Player of Year in 2023. At his team option, he could become a costly bench player by midseason.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Bogdan Bogdanovic\u2019s stay with the Clippers appears to be over after less than two seasons. The team is expected to trade him; both sides have agreed that the team would wait before deciding on his $16 million team option, so they have more time to pursue a trade.<\/p>\n

Bogdanovic, 33, who the Clippers acquired in a February 2025 trade, is coming off one of the worst seasons of his 10-year NBA career. He fell out of Coach Tyronn Lue\u2019s rotation, appearing in only 23 games and averaged 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 2.2 assists while shooting just 38.8% from the field.<\/p>\n

The Clippers are likely to pick up the options on their other key free agents \u2013 guard Jordan Miller ($2.5 million), guard Kobe Sanders ($2.2 million) and veteran forward Nicolas Batum ($5.5 million).<\/p>\n

The Clippers elevated Miller from a two-way contract to standard roster status in February after he earned a spot in the rotation. He became a valuable bench player, averaging 12.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 steals in 25.9 minutes over his last 18 games.<\/p>\n

Veteran guard Bradley Beal, who missed all but five games last season after fracturing his left hip, declined his player option on the second year of his $11 million contract on Monday.<\/p>\n

Read more Dodgers\u2019 Mookie Betts is back to \u2018normal\u2019 after adjusting his work to fit the present<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Collins, an unrestricted free agent, became a valuable frontcourt contributor last season, but restricted free agent wing Mathurin doesn\u2019t have a clear path to a starting spot with them next season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19058,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNBA free agency: Will Clippers retain John Collins, Bennedict Mathurin? - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=19059\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NBA free agency: Will Clippers retain John Collins, Bennedict Mathurin? 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