Beat writers are debating a backup forward battle, a league-wide two-way market the Clippers already tapped, and a draft pick the front office allegedly should have played safer. The roster and pick ledger here confirm parts of each story and leave the rest unresolved.
A rookie forward and a second-year guard are drawing opposite verdicts for the same bench minutes.
Clipperholics' Iliyan Lakhani wrote on October 10 that Baba Miller, the 22-year-old rookie forward, has a clear opening to seize the backup power forward spot. Two days later, the same writer argued that Cam Christie's underwhelming preseason points toward a different move at his position. Both players remain on the 21-man roster listed here, and neither claim can be settled yet: the regular season has not started, so there are no games to check it against.
A league-wide two-way market lines up with roster churn the Clippers already made.
Hoops Rumors' Rory Maher reported on October 11 that seven teams, the Clippers included, still have two-way contract openings ahead of this season. That tracks with moves already on the record: Fletcher Loyer was waived October 7, and Jahmyl Telfort, a rookie guard, joined the roster October 8. Telfort carries one year of experience, the kind of profile that fits a two-way slot, though his contract type was not specified when he signed.
A 2024 draft second-guess skips past this year's bigger draft-capital problem.
Lakhani also argued on October 11 that the front office should have mirrored the more cautious approach the Celtics used with a 2024 lottery selection. The pick ledger here only runs from 2027 forward, so that specific comparison falls outside anything that can be confirmed. What the ledger does show is a thinner problem happening now: the 2029 and 2030 first-round picks are forfeited outright, part of the penalty the NBA handed down September 2 over the Leonard-Aspiration cap case, alongside swaps owed on four of the other six picks through 2030.
Is Baba Miller the favorite to win the Clippers' backup power forward spot?
No outcome is set. Clipperholics has argued he has the opening, but the rookie forward has not played a regular-season minute since the Clippers are 0-0.
Did the Clippers lose first-round picks in a trade?
No. The 2029 and 2030 first-round picks were forfeited as a league penalty from the September 2 ruling on the Leonard-Aspiration cap case, not traded away.
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