INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Lawrence Frank thought that the Los Angeles Clippers' biggest move near the NBA’s trade deadline was going to be return of Kawhi Leonard.
The more Frank looked at his roster though, he realized that Leonard's addition wasn't going to be enough. So, Frank, the Clippers president of basketball operations, began looking at how to shore up his bench going into the last two months of the regular season.
Over the past week, the Clippers have added Bogdan Bogdanovic, Patty Mills, Drew Eubanks and MarJon Beauchamp, with another move or two still to be made.
“We feel really good that we improved our team on the margins, which is very important,” Frank said before Saturday night's game against the Utah Jazz. “We had to address some different positions and skillset needs and we feel good about the guys that we added.”
The Clippers acquired Bogdanovic and three second-round draft picks from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland.
Bogdanovic is a player that Frank has liked for a long time, even though he has struggled shooting this season.
The 32-year old Serbian guard averaged 10 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2 assists in 24 games for the Hawks this season. He hasn't played since Jan. 25 due to personal reasons but could make his Clippers debut on Wednesday against Memphis.
“We’re a little light on shooting and Bogdan gives us not just shooting but good size at the position. He’s a quick processor of the game," Frank said of the 6-foot-5 Bogdanovic.
Bogdanovic, who helped Serbia win a bronze medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and a silver at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, is shooting only 37.1% from the field this season, which is down from his career average of 43.5%. Frank attributed the struggles to just bad shooting luck after examining his possessions.
“We're well versed in his game. With the way that (coach Tyronn) Lue plays and Bogdanovic's game, it is going to be a good fit. He is a tough competitor,” Frank said. “We're very confident that as long as he stays healthy he will be a positive contributor for us.”
Beauchamp, acquired from Milwaukee on Friday for guard/forward Kevin Porter Jr., gives the Clippers a young 6-foot-7 forward with some size at forward. Frank said Beauchamp didn't have many opportunities with the Bucks and that he was eager to see how he might develop.
Beauchamp averaged 2 points and 1.2 rebounds in 26 games this season for the Bucks.
Mills and Eubanks, both acquired from Utah on Feb. 1 for P.J. Tucker and Mo Bamba, also provide some flexibility off the bench.
The Clippers had lost three straight going into Saturday night's game against the Jazz, but were in seventh place in the Western Conference with a 28-23 record.
Some expected the Clippers not to contend for a playoff spot this season after Paul George signed with Philadelphia and Leonard missed the first 34 games as he recovered from a right knee injury.
“We know what our long-term strategy is, but also our short-term strategy is to be as competitive as we can possibly be and give ourselves a chance to go as far as we possibly can,” Frank said.
One player that Frank did not mention is Ben Simmons, who was waived by the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday after the team agreed to a buyout. ESPN reported that Simmons intends to sign with the Clippers once he clears waivers.
“We’ve been fortunate in the buyout market. You look at Nico (Batum), Reggie Jackson and Russ (Russell Westbrook), those guys had a huge impact,” Frank said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve always been a destination for buyout guys. Guys love playing for (coach Tyronn Lue), they’ve fallen in love with the franchise. So we’ll look at the buyout market and see how we can address some additional needs that we have.”
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Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue directs his team during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard, left, tries to get around Toronto Raptors guard RJ Barrett, top, during first-half NBA basketball game action in Toronto, Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press via AP)
Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue, left, talks to center Ivica Zubac (40) during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, N.C., Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)
Markets appear to be settling a day after a broad rally was fueled by hopes the Trump administration may take a more targeted approach to tariffs.
Futures for the S&P 500, the Nasdaq and the Dow Jones Industrial Average all rose less than 0.1% before Tuesday's opening bell.
KB Homes slid 8.6% after it fell significantly short of Wall Street's first quarter sales and profit forecasts. Already mired in a slump, homebuilders are now faced with potentially rising costs due to tariffs, which they will have to pass on to buyers. KB's results and grim forecast dragged a host of other homebuilders' shares down with it, including Toll Brothers, LGI and Lennar.
Tesla shares ticked up 1.3% despite more grim sales figures from Europe.
European sales of Tesla electric cars were almost cut in half during the first two months of the year compared with a year earlier, even as the overall market for battery-powered cars grew, according to the European Automobile Manufacturers Association.
In addition to an aging model line, sales declines are also being blamed in part on CEO Elon Elon Musk’s endorsement of Germany’s far-right party in last month’s national election, his embrace of fringe political movements, and a gesture during a Trump event in January that many saw as a Nazi salute. Tesla is also facing increasing competition from Chinese carmakers such as BYD.
Wall Street has several economic updates this week. The Conference Board releases its consumer confidence survey for March on Tuesday. On Friday, the U.S. government releases the personal consumption expenditures price index for February, a measure of inflation closely watched by the Federal Reserve.
Stocks have been roiled for weeks by concerns that a trade war could hinder economic growth and increase inflationary pressures.
A new round of tariffs is scheduled to go into effect on April 2, but President Donald Trump has been unclear on his plans, saying Monday that even though he wants to charge “reciprocal” rates — import taxes to match the rates charged by other countries -- that “we might be even nicer than that.”
In a Truth Social post, Trump said Venezuela has been “very hostile” to the U.S. and any county purchasing its oil will pay a 25% tariff on all exports to the U.S. starting April 2.
“U.S. tariffs remain a critical headwind for the region to navigate. Any slowdown in trade could weigh on Asia’s export-driven economies, while shifting supply chains may complicate investment flows,” Junrong Yeap of IG said in a commentary.
That would likely more than double the already high tariffs facing China, which in 2023 bought 68% of the oil exported by Venezuela, according to a 2024 analysis by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. The U.S. also imports oil from Venezuela.
In Asian trading, Tokyo's Nikkei 225 gained 0.5% to 37,780.54, while the Kospi in South Korea lost 0.6% to 2,615.81.
Hong Kong's Hang Seng sank 2.4% to 23,344.25 as heavy selling of tech-related shares pulled the benchmark lower.
Cell phone maker Xiaomi's Hong Kong-traded shares dropped 6.3% and delivery app company Meituan lost 4.4%. E-commerce giant Alibaba was down 3.8%.
The Shanghai Composite index was unchanged at 3,369.98.
Taiwan's Taiex gained 0.8% and the SET in Thailand lost 0.5%.
In Europe at midday, Germany’s DAX added 1.1%, while the CAC 40 in Paris was up 1.3%. Britain’s FTSE 100 advanced 0.7%.
Financial information is displayed on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Financial information is displayed on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Monday, March 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Currency traders watch monitors near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
The display board with the Dax curve in the trading hall of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, Germany, Thursday, March 20, 2025. (Arne Dedert/dpa/dpa via AP)
Currency traders work near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), top left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, top center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A currency trader talks on the phone near a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
