The LA Clippers appear to have decided on their temporary fill-in for the suspended Lawrence Frank.
Clippers general manager Trent Redden is expected to step in for Frank as the franchise’s new lead decision-maker, Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer reported on Tuesday. Redden will likely be filling in on an interim basis for the duration of Frank’s league-imposed suspension.
Frank, a former NBA head coach as well as the Clippers’ current president of basketball operations, was handed a six-month suspension by the NBA this month for his role in the Kawhi Leonard salary cap circumvention scandal. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and Clippers president of business operations Gillian Zucker were also given even harsher suspensions of one year each.
As a result of the suspension, Frank (who was the NBA’s Executive of the Year in 2020) cannot attend any team events and cannot have any contact with team officials. Consequently, Redden would likely have full autonomy on basketball decisions for the Clippers over the next six months.
Redden, 42, was previously the assistant general manager for the Cleveland Cavaliers and won an NBA championship while serving in that role for the team in 2016. He then joined the Clippers’ front office as their assistant GM in 2017 and was promoted to GM under Frank in 2023.
Frank, who was also recently accused of pulling two-faced moves, would presumably be eligible to return to his position around March. However, it looks like Redden will be the one calling the shots for the Clippers during the February trade deadline and other key dates.