INGLEWOOD, Calif. — The Los Angeles Clippers opened their 2025 training camp at their state-of-the-art Intuit Dome with a veteran-laden roster and championship aspirations, even as the organization navigates a significant NBA investigation into alleged salary cap violations.

Familiar Home, Familiar Mindset

Head coach Tyronn Lue couldn’t help but express some disappointment about the team’s previous Hawaiian training camp tradition, but he quickly pivoted to the positives of having everything be in-house. “I miss Hawai’i… But just having training camp here for the first time at Intuit is a great feeling… you can kind of take your time and be at ease,” Lue said, clearly embracing the comfort of working in the Clippers’ new home venue that opened last season.

Chris Paul on who’s stood out to him in camp: “I’m playing with a brand new group of guys. Everybody. Brook Lopez. He’s been in the league now 18 years. Competed him against him for a long time and now to get a chance to play alongside him has been pretty dope.” pic.twitter.com/TuePAkPx7f

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) October 5, 2025

The shift back to Los Angeles wasn’t lost on everyone. Veteran guard Chris Paul, who rejoined the franchise this summer, playfully called out the timing on a recent podcast appearance, joking that the Clippers conveniently ended their Hawaii trips the moment he returned after eight years away.

Experience Over Everything

Make no mistake about it—this is an old team. The Clippers may field what could be the oldest roster in NBA history, with a core anchored by James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Chris Paul, Brook Lopez, and Bradley Beal. But if you ask the players themselves, age is just a number when championship experience is what matters most.

Beal remains out of scrimmaging due to recovery from a knee scope that he had done in May after the 2024-2025 season, but nobody around the team seems concerned about it at all. 

“We have a fantastic group. Obviously a vet group, but we’ve been lucky to have a lot of young guys here too. They’ve brought a ton of great energy, a lot of enthusiasm. They’ve been putting work in for a long time this offseason and it definitely shows,” Lopez said, his words carrying the confidence of someone who knows what it takes to win at the highest level.

James Harden was even more direct about the team’s mission. After a season spent figuring out rotations and chemistry on the fly, the perennial All-Star made it clear that year three comes with heightened expectations. “We gotta get out to a really good start. It’s a tough conference that we’re in. Last year, we were just trying to find our way, figure out what we had. This year, we know what we have. We got to just put it together.”

There’s no dancing around it—the Clippers are under the microscope. An ongoing NBA investigation continues to look into whether the organization circumvented salary cap rules through Leonard’s endorsement deal with Aspiration, a company that has since collapsed into bankruptcy. The allegations obviously carry serious potential consequences, including fines, loss of draft picks, or even contract voiding.

Yet Coach Lue projects the kind of calm you’d expect from someone who’s been through multiple playoff wars. “I think our guys are focused. It’s an unfortunate situation right now… things like that don’t seem to bother (Kawhi),” he said, his tone suggesting confidence in his star player’s ability to block out the noise.

Kawhi Leonard on who’s stood out to him in camp so far: “Everybody’s been doing a great job, especially the young guys. They’ve been here all summer. You can see how much it helped them on the defensive end just with their communication, as well.” pic.twitter.com/rRZy8MM95B

— Justin Russo (@FlyByKnite) October 5, 2025

Leonard himself seemed determined to keep the focus squarely on basketball fundamentals. When asked about preseason priorities, he was calculated and concise. “We want to execute offensively. We want to make sure we’re having more pace on that end… defense, we want to make sure we’re helping everybody. Knowing our spots, our rotations.”

It was vintage Kawhi—measured, focused, and completely unwilling to let external noise dictate the narrative. Whether that mindset can carry an aging roster through a grueling Western Conference gauntlet while federal investigators circle overhead remains the season’s defining question.

In any case, it is just good to talk about the basketball part of the team once again.