The Clippers had to hand somebody the keys, and they went with the man already doing the work.
Trent Redden, 42, the franchise’s general manager, has been elevated to interim president of basketball operations. Mark Hughes, the assistant GM and senior vice president, moves up to interim general manager.
Interim governor John Gibson announced the moves in a five-minute video message to fans posted Wednesday.
This exists because of Kawhi
Lawrence Frank is serving a six-month suspension for his role in Leonard’s impermissible endorsement arrangements and for approving impermissible expenses incurred by Leonard and his family.
That sanction came with a much larger bill. The league docked the Clippers five first-round picks, fined the team $30 million and suspended owner Steve Ballmer for a year.
Gibson himself is only the interim governor and CEO, which means the top three jobs in this organization are all currently held on a temporary basis. That is not a stable place to start a season.
Redden was ready anyway
The promotion is not a consolation prize. Redden started as a Cavaliers scout in 2007, rose through director of player personnel and assistant GM, left Cleveland in 2017 to join the Clippers under Frank, and became GM in 2023 when Michael Winger went to Washington.
He has drawn front-office interest from the Pelicans, Bulls and Kings along the way. Los Angeles has been quietly fighting off other teams for him for years.
Hughes brings a decade with the Knicks as a scout and director of player personnel, plus nine years in the Clippers front office.
Gibson is selling the roster hard
The interim governor named Brandon Ingram, Gradey Dick, Rui Hachimura, Max Strus and Keaton Wagler as offseason additions he is excited about, which is a lot of names for a team that traded Ivica Zubac and James Harden at last season’s deadline.
He also went out of his way to back head coach Tyronn Lue.
“Ty has repeatedly demonstrated the ability to overcome adversity, unite teams, and inspire players to perform at their best,” Gibson said. “His leadership will be instrumental as we move forward.”
The Kawhi chapter is closed
Leonard’s trade to Toronto, agreed to on June 30 and frozen for two and a half months, finally completed on Sept. 14. Gibson addressed it in a single sentence.
“We thank Kawhi for his contributions on the court and wish him well,” he said, adding that the team is “conducting a thoughtful and comprehensive review of both basketball and business operations to ensure every decision supports a winning culture.”
Translation: the Clippers are rebuilding, the people who built the last version are gone or suspended, and Trent Redden has six months to prove he should keep the job permanently. He will not get a better audition than this.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.