Bullet point summary by AI
- The Los Angeles Clippers acquired Johni Broome in exchange for cash considerations and a second-round pick.
- Broome showed promise in the 2026 Vegas Summer League averaging 14.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
- With Kawhi Leonard traded, Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram are projected as starters with Brook Lopez at center.
The Los Angeles Clippers have completely reset their roster going into the 2026-27 season, with the latest addition coming via the 76ers. Philadelphia is shipping former second-round pick Johni Broome to the City of Angels.
After a decorated collegiate career, one that saw him win the Sporting News Player of the Year in 2024-25, Broome didn’t do much in his rookie season—appearing in just 11 total games and averaging a whopping 0.9 PPG in those contests.
However, Broome showed some life in the 2026 Vegas Summer League. In three appearances, the rising sophomore big averaged 14.7 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.7 SPG, 1.0 SPG, and 1.0 BPG. He flashed enough upside that the Los Angeles Clippers decided to take a flyer on him (and a second-round pick) in exchange for the good ol’ cash considerations.
Broome isn’t going to be the only new face in a Clipper uniform next season. So, let’s recap what their depth chart looks like heading into 2026-27.
Updated 2026-27 Los Angeles Clippers depth chart
For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume that the league does not reverse the Kawhi Leonard trade the Clippers made with the Raptors, and that my prediction that Bennedict Mathurin ends up returning to the team is correct.
Now, here is a look at their projected depth chart:
|
POSITION |
FIRST STRING |
SECOND STRING |
THIRD STRING |
|---|---|---|---|
|
PG |
Darius Garland |
Keaton Wagler |
Kobe Sanders |
|
SG |
Kris Dunn |
Bennedict Mathurin |
Cam Christie |
|
SF |
Brandon Ingram |
Derrick Jones Jr. |
Gradey Dick |
|
PF |
Rui Hachimura |
Jordan Miller |
Johni Broome |
|
C |
Brook Lopez |
Yanic Konan Niederhauser |
Isaiah Jackson |
Three of the five starters for the Clippers you can probably write in pen. With Leonard gone, Darius Garland is likely the team’s best player. Brandon Ingram, the main player coming to the Clippers from that trade, will also be in the starting five. Then, you can probably put Rui Hachimura in at the starting four spot, given how well his shooting will pair with Garland and Ingram’s creation.
Brook Lopez’s experience and reliability should lead to him being the starting five on opening night. However, once Yanic Konan Niderhauser is healthy and up to speed, I could see him overtaking the former All-Star in the starting lineup. The last spot could go a lot of different ways, but I think Kris Dunn is the best option because he gives them a good offensive connector and an elite point-of-attack defender to round out their lineup.
Mathurin will continue to be the team’s sixth man, which is probably the best role for the volatile scoring forward. Keaton Wagler, the team’s fifth overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, won’t be thrown into the fire right away, as he’ll come off the bench and eat up minutes as a backup at both guard spots. Derrick Jones Jr. (the other player I considered for that fifth starting spot) and Jordan Miller will come off the bench for some energy and defense to round out the team’s 10-man rotation.
Despite the Clippers trading for Broome, he will remain on the fringes of the rotation—waiting for an opportunity to present itself so that he can show he has what it takes to hang around the league. Joining him will be the likes of Kobe Sanders, Gradey Dick, Cam Christie, and Isaiah Jackson.
Of those five guys, the players I could see as most likely to jump into a consistent role are Sanders and Dick. Sanders impressed in the various stints he got as a second-round rookie last season. Meanwhile, Dick is a former lottery pick who was never really able to find his groove with the team that drafted him (the Raptors). Maybe a change of scenery is all he needs to earn his stripes.
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