Clippers Let Bennedict Mathurin Walk for Nothing, Pelicans Pounce on Discount Deal

The LA Clippers just let a 24-year-old averaging 17 points a game walk out the door for absolutely nothing, which is certainly a choice in modern roster building.

Keith Smith of Spotrac reported that Los Angeles officially withdrew their $8.8 million qualifying offer for Bennedict Mathurin. That procedural move made him an unrestricted free agent for about five seconds before he agreed to a two-year, $16 million deal with the New Orleans Pelicans.

"Keith Smith reported the Clippers officially withdrew the qualifying offer for Mathurin, making him an unrestricted free agent."

Mathurin is now on his third team in a single calendar year. The Indiana Pacers drafted him sixth overall in 2022, then shipped him to LA at the February trade deadline in the Ivica Zubac deal. He put up a highly respectable 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game this past season, but his three-point shot completely evaporated the second he put on a Clippers jersey.

Asking a team to pull a qualifying offer so you can take less annual money somewhere else is the NBA equivalent of paying your own cover charge just to leave a bad party. Mathurin's camp clearly wanted out of the restricted free agency waiting room, and the Clippers were apparently fine holding the door open.

For anyone looking at futures markets, New Orleans just bought a high-upside rotation piece at a massive discount. Getting a guy who can easily clear 15 points a night for $8 million a year is the kind of margin move that swings division races and team win totals without blowing up the salary cap.

Mathurin now gets a fresh start in New Orleans with a player option in year two, meaning he can hit the open market again at 25 if he fixes his jumper. As for the Clippers, they traded a starting center for a half-season rental who just took a pay cut to leave town.