5 Clippers Playing Their Final Season in Los Angeles

4. Mason Plumlee

Mason Plumlee was acquired at last year's trade deadline to help give the Clippers' frontcourt a boost for the playoffs. His numbers (7.5 PPG/6.9 RPG) down the stretch for LA weren't as good as what he put up with the Charlotte Hornets in 2022-23 (12.2/9.7), though he did log a pair of 10-rebound games in the playoffs.

Plumlee was then brought back on a one-year deal and figured to be a big part of the center rotation. That is, until he went down in November with a knee injury.

Los Angeles went out and traded for Daniel Theis to fill Plumlee's role, which has turned out to be a big success. Theis (6.2 PPG/3.6RPG) is averaging nearly the same as Plumlee (6.5 PPG/5.8 RPG) while both are playing just around 17 minutes per night.

Considering Plumlee is making $5 million this season and Theis is on the vet minimum, it's obvious who is providing the better value. That kind of smart spending is what will help the Clippers keep the Harden-Paul George-Kawhi Leonard trio together for the long haul, so expect Plumlee -- who admitted he turned down money this past offseason to return to LA -- to takes his talents elsewhere for 2024-25.

5. Joshua Primo

Wise spending and roster space usage is key for a contender like the Clippers with highly paid stars leading this team. That's why it was a reasonable risk for the squad to take a chance on troubled guard Johsua Primo considering the possible return if he outperformed his meager contract.

Yet, it's safe to say this experiment is a bust. Primo's appeared in only one contest for LA this season, finding himself buried on the depth chart behind several productive guards.

Only $1 million of his nearly $2.2 million salary for 2024-25 is guaranteed, which provides the Clips a chance to save some money and part with a player who's not worked out quite easily.