NBA Rumors: 3 LA Clippers Who Won't Be Back Next Season

The Los Angeles Clippers were officially eliminated Friday night, going down in the playoffs the way they usually do, without Kawhi Leonard in the lineup. Now comes the difficult task of deciding how to go about re-signing pending free agents Paul George and James Harden. Most insiders believe that the Clippers will keep them both, though suitors are out there for George (though not so much for Harden).

No doubt this roster will look very different next season, and we have a look at three players who almost certainly will not be back:

Russell Westbrook

Despite what many have believed, The Athletic is reporting that Westbrook was none too happy with his reserve role, which kicked in after the arrival of James Harden near the beginning of the season. Russ played in a career-low, 22.5 minutes per game.

Russell Westbrook could leave the Clippers for a better opportunity elsewhere, per @TheAthletic

“Does the nine-time All-Star and former MVP want to continue in this kind of limited role while playing on a veteran’s minimum deal, or might he have played his way into a better… pic.twitter.com/jkhkurV7Ft
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 4, 2024

“Does the nine-time All-Star and former MVP want to continue in this kind of limited role while playing on a veteran’s minimum deal, or might he have played his way into a better opportunity elsewhere? Considering the challenges that came with him being relegated to a reserve role, with team and league sources indicating that the process was far more challenging behind the scenes than team officials had made it appear publicly, the answer may very well be the latter," wrote Law Murray and Sam Amick.

It sounds like Westbrook is ready to move on.

PJ Tucker

As a proven playoff performer and owner of a championship ring, it was thought that Tucker would be more than just a throw-in in the Harden trade. But it simply hasn't worked out that way. Tucker spent most of his time with the Clippers at the end of the bench; in fact, he went three straight months without playing at one point. Now, it's been reported that he will be opting out of the final year of his contract, and he will be moving on.

Clippers forward PJ Tucker is expected to exercise his $11.54 million player option for the upcoming 2024-25 season; per @MikeAScotto pic.twitter.com/a6SejXTZU7
— BASKETBALL ON 𝕏 (@BasketballOnX) May 4, 2024

Bones Hyland

The 23-year-old suffered through his most frustrating season yet, and that's saying something after he was dealt in the middle of the previous season, only to watch his former team, the Denver Nuggets go on to win a championship without him. He received less than 15 minutes of floor time per night this year with the Clippers.

The team holds the option on a $4M final year of his contract for next season, and it's highly unlikely that the Clips pick it up.