NBA executives split on how Clippers should try to fix terrible start

What exactly is the best path forward for a Clippers team sitting at 6-16? Tim Bontemps and Brian Windhorst of ESPN posed that question to scouts and executives around the league.

And one executive joked that the answer matters to almost everyone.

The Clippers owe Oklahoma City an unprotected 2026 first-round pick, and the defending champs would love nothing more than to watch it climb the board.

“We might need to get everyone in the league on a Zoom and brainstorm some ideas,” the executive said. “Invite everybody except Sam Presti.”

There was no consensus about what the Clippers should do next. Some scouts and execs believe Los Angeles needs to shake up the roster by making in-season trades.

The disagreements begin after that. A few view L.A. as a buyer. Others think the team is better off selling.

A separate group told ESPN the Clippers should simply stay the course. They believe the roster, centered on Kawhi Leonard, James Harden and Ivica Zubac, is stronger than the record shows.

“There are several teams ahead of them in the standings that are eventually going to tank and they will be able to pass them,” one veteran executive said. “They won’t admit it now, but there are stealth tankers already at play. You’ll be asking about the tanking epidemic in the spring.”

A Western Conference scout added that patience might be the smartest play.

“It’s got to be better than this. Tyronn Lue is a great coach. With Zubac, Harden and Kawhi, you’re too talented to be this bad all season,” the scout said. “You have to hold. We’ve only seen 22 games of it. Yes, it’s been terrible, but what can you do?”

For now, the Clippers find themselves stuck between options with no perfect answer.