The LA Clippers made one of the more intriguing moves of the NBA offseason this morning, dealing Norman Powell to the Miami Heat and acquiring John Collins from the Utah Jazz. It will sting for LA to move on from Powell, who averaged a career-high 21.8 points and surely would’ve received some Most Improved Player votes if he hit the 65-game threshold, but Collins is a good fit alongside the win-now roster. The Clippers remain in the market for a guard in free agency.
After being one of last season’s surprise packages, finishing 50-32, LA dropped its first-round series to seven games against the Denver Nuggets. Oddsmakers aren’t as bullish on the Clippers entering the 2025-26 season, with an over-under of 45.5 wins at DraftKings Sportsbook.
If you’re interested in seeing any of the other NBA teams’ projected win totals, check out DKN‘s master list of the full 2025-2026 NBA projected win totals.
LA Clippers 2025-2026 projected win total
Analysis
As they always do, LA’s chances next season will hinge on the health of Kawhi Leonard. Fun Guy missed the first several months of last season while recovering from offseason knee surgery, but when he was on the court, he was fantastic, averaging 21.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.6 steals per game on 50-41-81 shooting splits. He then looked like the best player on the court at times in a series that included Nikola Jokić. When he was on the court, the Clippers obliterated opponents by 12.7 points per 100 possessions, which would have been the best mark in the league.
LA was shrewd in surrounding Leonard with talent this summer, adding Brook Lopez on a two-year, $18 million deal to back up Ivica Zubac, giving James Harden a moderate raise while retaining access to the midlevel exception, and trading for Collins. Collins averaged 19.0 points per game last season and is the sort of high-flying, glass-cleaning forward that Harden has thrived alongside in the past. Zubac was fantastic last season, averaging 16.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.7 combined steals/blocks per game, and at the age of 28, he might still have another level to reach. He made the All-Defensive Second Team and finished second in Most Improved Player voting last season.
Last season, the Clippers finished with a 109.4 defensive rating, the league’s third-best mark, including its second-best after Leonard returned from injury on January 4. That was while starting a back-court featuring Harden, a notoriously lackadaisical defender, and Powell, who isn’t very good on that side of the ball either. Collins is a poor defender, but his addition allows Leonard to slide back over to small forward, where he can better use his massive hands to disrupt passing lanes, and Lopez should provide more-than-capable rim protection in 20 minutes per game behind or alongside Zubac. Despite the offensive improvements across the conference, they should be even better this season.
LA Clippers projected win total: Best bets, predictions
LA Clippers Over 45.5 (-120)
As long as Leonard stays healthy, this is the easiest over on the board. With how good Powell was last season, especially in the first half, it’s possible that Collins is a notable downgrade, but by the end of the season, he was LA’s fourth-most impactful player anyway. Bogdan Bogdanović, who arrived in a midseason trade with the Atlanta Hawks, made 42.7% of his triples with the Clippers and should be more comfortable in Tyronn Lue’s scheme. Steve Ballmer, Lawrence Frank, and Trent Redden form one of the league’s most shrewd executive trios, and Lue is among its best coaches. The West has improved, but not enough for LA to drop an additional five games.
