Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram Lead Clippers’ New-Look 2026-27 Roster

The Clippers enter the new season with a roster that barely resembles the group that went 42-40, finished ninth in the Western Conference and exited in the SoFi NBA Play-In Tournament. Darius Garland and Brandon Ingram now sit at the center of Tyronn Lue’s plans, but the immediate work is finding a starting five and a workable rotation before Opening Night.

A new Clippers core takes shape

Los Angeles began remaking the roster in February, when it moved James Harden and Ivica Zubac. Garland arrived in the Harden transaction, and the summer brought another sweep of departures: Kawhi Leonard, Bennedict Mathurin, John Collins and Bogdan Bogdanović are gone.

The incoming group includes Ingram, Johni Broome, Gradey Dick, Rui Hachimura, Nick Martinelli, Baba Miller, Max Strus and No. 5 overall pick Keaton Wagler. Ingram comes to Los Angeles after an All-Star campaign in Toronto, where he paced the Raptors at 21.5 points per game.

Garland gives Lue a lead guard capable of creating offense, while Ingram supplies a high-level shot-maker with a preference for operating inside the 3-point line. Last season, 32.5% of Ingram’s made baskets came from midrange, an area where he converted 47.1% of his attempts.

The rest of the rotation has enough veteran options to make the lineup decisions less straightforward. Bradley Beal, Kris Dunn, Derrick Jones Jr. and Brook Lopez remain available, with Hachimura and Dick adding further depth. Dunn started 68 games last season, while Jones and Lopez each made more than 40 starts.

Strus and Garland bring a familiar connection

Strus may be the piece that gives the retooled offense its needed spacing. He missed the first 67 games of last season in Cleveland with a broken foot, then returned to shoot 40.2% from 3-point range.

During the prior season, Cleveland finished second in the NBA at 15.9 made 3-pointers per night and earned the East’s top seed. Garland assisted Strus more often than any other Cavaliers teammate that year.

That connection could matter quickly in Los Angeles. Ingram’s midrange-heavy game can pull defenders toward the paint and elbows, leaving perimeter looks for Strus. The seven-year veteran’s shooting should also give Garland a reliable outlet when defenses load up on the ball.

Replacing Leonard’s impact

The Clippers are not simply changing personnel; they are replacing a player who carried a major share of the team’s two-way value. Leonard logged 2,000 minutes last year, only the second time he reached that mark in seven seasons with the franchise.

Among the 263 players who logged at least 1,000 minutes for one club, Leonard’s 13.8-point per-100-possession swing ranked third. The larger portion of that gap came offensively, though his defensive influence remained substantial.

Only Dunn, Jones and Lopez remain from the 10 Clippers who played at least 10 minutes in last season’s opener. Lue has a narrow three-game preseason schedule to determine which returning veterans fit alongside Garland and Ingram, and whether Wagler can claim an early role.

Dates on the Clippers calendar

For Lue, the preseason is less about settling every question than identifying a dependable first unit around his two new lead creators. The West offers little runway for a team still learning its spacing, defensive assignments and late-game hierarchy.