Clippers’ Season Spirals as Los Angeles Rivals Reportedly Eye Desperate DeRozan Trade

The Los Angeles Clippers' 2025-26 season has gone from concerning to genuinely alarming. With a 5-12 record and no draft pick waiting for them at the end of the season, the franchise is staring down a potential disaster — and it appears they may respond with desperate measures.

According to a report from NBA insider Sam Amick, the Clippers are exploring a trade for 36-year-old forward DeMar DeRozan as they attempt to pull themselves out of the Western Conference basement. DeRozan has only a partial guarantee for next season, making him a short-term swing rather than a franchise-changing acquisition.

A season in freefall

The Clippers currently sit among the worst teams in the West. They share standings territory with organizations like:

• The Sacramento Kings
• The New Orleans Pelicans
• The Utah Jazz
• The Dallas Mavericks

Not exactly the company a supposed contender wants to keep. The franchise still has enough time to climb back into the play-in mix, but with the Thunder holding the rights to their pick, losing games now has no upside.

The DeRozan pursuit: A risky swing

Amick reports that Los Angeles has shown interest in DeRozan, who has become a potential trade piece as the Kings move toward a rebuild. In theory, DeRozan brings scoring, veteran experience, and another offensive option. But in reality, this move raises more questions than answers.

The Clippers aren’t exactly flush with assets. Any deal would likely further drain their already thin draft capital, leaving them with:

• An aging roster
• Limited flexibility
• Little upside beyond short-term survival

For a franchise hoping to salvage the season, it may simply be a move that delays the inevitable.

Lakers watching with a grin

Meanwhile, across the hallway, the Los Angeles Lakers are soaring near the top of the Western Conference standings. Lakers fans can watch this unfold from a position of comfort, knowing that while DeRozan remains a capable scorer, he is not a true needle-mover for a franchise in structural trouble.

Even if the Clippers land him, they still need:

• A healthy and consistent Kawhi Leonard
• James Harden to turn back the clock
• A defensive identity
• A functioning offensive system

The problems are bigger than one veteran scorer.

The stakes are rising in Los Angeles

Adding further tension is the unresolved offseason controversy surrounding the Clippers, casting another shadow over a season already teetering. If the team does not find a path upward — and fast — 2025-26 could be remembered as a defining collapse.

With assets drying up, time running short, and the Lakers thriving, the Clippers may be one slip away from turning a bad season into a truly catastrophic one.