Lawrence Frank expresses cautious optimism about Clippers’ future: ‘The window is still open’

LOS ANGELES — In the recent past, Lawrence Frank’s end-of-season addresses have been rather emotional. Last season, Frank was quite stern and pointed, declaring the Clippers needed to get back to “honoring and respecting the regular season.” Compared to those years, Frank’s demeanor this time was relaxed, even peaceful. How to improve team while keeping core together While acknowledging the team’s goal of keeping Harden and George, Frank also said, “We’re not naive to think that, ‘Hey, we just run it back and we’ll be all good.’ That’s not how we look at team building.” His most revealing insight was his repeated tidbit that the Clippers tried and failed to make a deal before the trade deadline to improve the roster. He, too, has a player option and, as Frank put it, “a decision to make.” While Frank said that the process for determining Westbrook’s role with the team is “very similar” to last year, there is one big difference: Westbrook was the starter last summer, and Harden is the team’s offseason point guard priority this summer. But Frank believes that the 2024 draft “has a very, very healthy middle class” and that it’s on the Clippers to find “the right player.” Frank specifically mentioned four holdover young players who will need to “put pressure on the coaching staff to get in the rotation.” Those players: 2023 draft picks Kobe Brown and Jordan Miller, expiring two-way contract center Moussa Diabaté and 2021 first round pick Kai Jones.