If you are a Clippers fan, looking at the current state of the franchise doesn’t just hurt: it is genuinely nauseating.
We are sitting near the bottom of the Western Conference. We have the oldest roster in NBA history. We have zero identity. And, perhaps most damning of all, we have almost no control over our own draft picks for the foreseeable future.
For years, we were told to “Trust the Process” of Lawrence Frank. We were sold on the idea that he was a mastermind executive who orchestrated the greatest offseason in franchise history. But as we sit here in late 2025, the evidence is irrefutable: Lawrence Frank has steered this ship directly into an iceberg, and he’s still trying to rearrange the deck chairs.
It is time for Steve Ballmer to do what needs to be done. It is time to fire Lawrence Frank.
Here is the transaction-by-transaction autopsy of how Frank dismantled a promising future to build a house of cards that has now collapsed.
1. The Original Sin: The Paul George Trade
Date: July 2019 The Move: Traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, five first-round draft picks, and two pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George.
We have to start here. This isn’t just a bad trade; history will likely record this as the worst trade in the history of the NBA. Worse than the Nets trading for Garnett and Pierce. Worse than the Herschel Walker trade in the NFL.
Lawrence Frank panicked. Kawhi Leonard demanded a second star, and Frank gave Sam Presti a blank check.
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What we lost: We didn’t just lose draft picks; we shipped out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who has evolved into a perennial MVP candidate and arguably a top-3 player in the world.
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The Picks: Those picks didn’t just disappear. One of them turned into Jalen Williams (a star in his own right). The 2026 pick (unprotected) likely belongs to OKC, and considering our current record, we are about to hand the Thunder a Top-5 pick in a loaded draft.
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The Result: We mortgaged a decade of assets for a duo that made one Conference Finals appearance.
2. The Asset Management Disaster: Letting PG Walk for Nothing
Date: July 2024 The Move: Allowed Paul George to sign with the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency without securing a sign-and-trade or moving him at the previous deadline.
If the 2019 trade was the original sin, the 2024 offseason was the nail in the coffin. Everyone knew Paul George was unhappy. Everyone knew the extension talks were stalling. A competent GM reads the room and trades the asset to recoup something—young players, late firsts, anything.
Instead, Frank played a game of chicken and lost. He let the player he traded seven years of draft capital for walk out the door for absolutely zero return. It is malpractice of the highest order.
3. The “Old Heads” Obsession: The Rondo & Wall Misses
Date: 2021 – 2023 The Moves:
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Trading Lou Williams (a culture setter) and two seconds for a washed Rajon Rondo.
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Signing John Wall and prioritizing him over Isaiah Hartenstein.
Frank has shown a persistent, fatal obsession with “names” over “production.” The trade for Rondo was a disaster; he was unplayable in the playoffs. Even worse was the decision to bring in John Wall. To make room for Wall’s ego and minutes, the Clippers let Isaiah Hartenstein—who was statistically one of the best backup bigs in the league—walk to the Knicks. Hartenstein blossomed into a premier starter, while Wall was waived a few months later.
4. The Norman Powell Panic Trade
Date: 2025 The Move: Traded Norman Powell for John Collins (and filler).
Norman Powell was one of the few bright spots of the last two seasons—an efficient, 20-PPG scorer who embodied the toughness this team lacked. So, what did Frank do? He sold low. Flipping Powell for John Collins was a desperation heave to add size, but all it did was clog the paint and remove our best perimeter scoring punch outside of Kawhi. Collins has been a shell of his former self, and we are sorely missing Powell’s bucket-getting ability.
5. The Chris Paul Embarrassment
Date: Offseason 2025 The Move: Signed Chris Paul to “bring leadership,” only to cut him 20 games into the season.
This recent debacle is symbolic of the entire era. Bringing back franchise legend CP3 seemed like a nice story, but the roster construction made no sense. We were too old and too slow. Then, in a panic move to “shake things up” after our terrible start, Frank unceremoniously sent Paul home. It was disrespectful to a franchise icon and showed a front office that has absolutely no plan, just knee-jerk reactions.
6. The Draft Capital Graveyard (The Future)
The Situation:
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2025: Pick goes to OKC (Swap right).
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2026: Pick goes to OKC (Unprotected).
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2027: Pick goes to OKC (Swap right).
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2028: Pick goes to Philadelphia (Harden trade).
We are currently a lottery team that does not own its own lottery pick. We are tanking for the Oklahoma City Thunder. We are suffering through a losing season to help a conference rival build a dynasty.
The Verdict
Lawrence Frank is a “President of Basketball Operations” who has operated with zero foresight.
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He bought high on stars and sold them for nothing.
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He traded a future MVP (SGA) for a rental.
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He ignored youth development to sign washed-up veterans.
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He has left the cupboard completely bare for the post-Kawhi era.
Steve Ballmer has poured billions into this team, including the new Intuit Dome. He deserves a front office that can match his ambition with competence. The Lawrence Frank experiment has failed. The “213” era is over, and it ended in a whimper, not a bang.
It is time to clean house.