The Los Angeles Clippers‘ offseason remains in limbo, but the market for one of their most important young players is beginning to take shape.
Restricted free agent Bennedict Mathurin has drawn interest from multiple teams, with ESPN’s Shams Charania reporting Wednesday that the Chicago Bulls have joined the New Orleans Pelicans in pursuing the 24-year-old wing. The latest development comes as the Clippers continue navigating an unusual offseason while awaiting the outcome of the NBA’s investigation into the circumstances surrounding Kawhi Leonard’s departure.
Speaking on NBA Today, Charania identified Mathurin as one of the top restricted free agents still available.
“Another player in free agency. This is a restricted free agent, Bennedict Mathurin,” Charania said. “Both the Bulls and the Pelicans, I’m told, are among the interested teams in Mathurin. He’s just 24 years old. We’ve known he can score the ball at a high level on the big stage. He did it for the Pacers in route to that 2025 run to the Finals.”
Charania added that Los Angeles has not backed away from its desire to retain Mathurin despite the growing interest.
“The Clippers do have some interest in re-signing Mathurin, but they’re in the middle of this holding pattern that is the Kawhi Leonard investigation,” Charania said.
The Clippers extended Mathurin a qualifying offer before free agency, making him a restricted free agent and preserving their right to match any offer sheet he signs.
Bulls Join Pelicans as Mathurin’s Market Grows
Getty The Chicago Bulls have registered interest in the Los Angeles Clippers’ restricted free agent wing Bennedict Mathurin.
Charania’s report came less than 24 hours after NBA insider Marc Stein reported in The Stein Line that Chicago had emerged alongside New Orleans as Mathurin’s two known suitors.
The Pelicans’ interest is hardly new.
Stein previously reported New Orleans explored acquiring Mathurin before the trade deadline, and the organization has continued searching for ways to create the financial flexibility needed to make another run at him. According to Stein, the Pelicans are attempting to move Jordan Hawkins‘ contract to create room below the first apron, a move that could free up enough of the non-taxpayer midlevel exception to extend Mathurin a competitive offer sheet.
The Bulls’ emergence gives Mathurin another potential landing spot, increasing the likelihood that the Clippers could eventually be forced to decide whether to match an outside offer.
Mathurin is coming off the best season of his four-year NBA career, averaging 17.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists while shooting with improved efficiency over 30.0 minutes per game. After beginning the season with Indiana, he finished the year in Los Angeles following the blockbuster deadline trade centered around Ivica Zubac.
Clippers Still View Mathurin as Part of Their Future
The Clippers paid a significant price to acquire Mathurin, a signal of how highly the organization views his long-term potential.
In the trade that sent Zubac to Indiana, Los Angeles received Mathurin, center Isaiah Jackson, two future first-round picks and a second-round selection. One of those picks became the No. 5 overall selection in the 2026 NBA Draft, which the Clippers used to draft Keaton Wagler.
The deal represented more than a roster move. It marked the beginning of a dramatic organizational reset.
After entering last season as the NBA’s oldest team, the Clippers pivoted toward building around younger talent while accumulating draft assets and maintaining future financial flexibility. The departures of Leonard, James Harden and Zubac signaled the end of one era, while players such as Mathurin, Wagler and Jackson became central pieces of the franchise’s next phase.
ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk reported earlier this month that the Clippers also remain interested in restricted free agent Peyton Watson, but retaining Mathurin has consistently been viewed as one of the organization’s offseason priorities.
For now, however, Los Angeles remains in wait-and-see mode.
As interest from Chicago and New Orleans continues to build, the Clippers still control the process because of Mathurin’s restricted free-agent status. Whether they ultimately match an offer sheet or pursue another path could depend on how the remainder of an already eventful offseason unfolds.
Clippers’ Bennedict Mathurin Situation Takes Interesting Turn