The Clippers open the 2026-27 season Wednesday against the Kings without Brandon Ingram, Bradley Beal, Max Strus or Yanic Konan Niederhauser. Hoops Rumors reported that Isaiah Jackson will start at center.
The roster stopped churning, and the final cuts are in.
Miye Oni, Blake Wesley, Nathan Mensah and Jahmyl Telfort all left the club on Sunday. Cam Christie, back on a two-way contract, stays. Hoops Rumors reported Sunday that Isaiah Jackson will start at center for the opener, which settles the question left by Niederhauser's foot injury.
The opener arrives with the injury list at its longest.
Ingram, Beal, Strus and Niederhauser carry an estimated return of November 8. Jordan Miller is out until March 1, 2027 with a shoulder injury. Ingram is back on the court doing individual work, but no date for his games has been set after the partially torn Achilles. Kris Dunn and Kobe Sanders were cleared Saturday, so the guard rotation has bodies.
The schedule is front-loaded with rivalry games.
After the Kings on Wednesday, the Clippers visit the Lakers on October 23 and the Thunder on October 25. The Lakers come to Inglewood on October 28. That is four games before November 8, and three of them fall in the first week.
Last season's net rating shows how little cushion this team has.
The Clippers finished 42-40 last season with a net rating of 1.1: offense of 116.3, defense of 115.2. That is a team that needs its best players on the floor, and its two highest-paid, Darius Garland at $42.2 million and Ingram at $40.0 million, are the ones with the shakiest availability. Payroll is $193.7 million, $6.7 million short of the $200.4 million tax line. The open question is who scores when Garland sits and Ingram is not yet back.
When do the Clippers open the 2026-27 season?
The Clippers open Wednesday, October 21, at home against the Kings. They then visit the Lakers on October 23.
When is Brandon Ingram expected back?
The estimated return date is November 8. He has returned to on-court work after a partially torn Achilles, but no date for his games has been given.
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