“He’s Damn Good”: Ty Lue Wants Fair Chance for 5′7″ International Star After Clippers Waive Him

It seems that the LA Clippers have already finalized their roster heading into the 2026-27 season. As of their latest roster cuts, the Clippers waived a 5'7" international guard after offering him an Exhibit 10 contract earlier this summer.

Yuki Kawamura, one of the smallest NBA players hailing from Japan, is now expected to join the Clippers' G League affiliate, the San Diego Clippers. Clippers main roster head coach Ty Lue gave his thoughts on Kawamura going to the G League affiliate.

"I would love to have him," Lue said in an interview with AP Hoops. "He’s a very good player. I don’t think he gets a fair chance cause of his height and size, but he’s a damn good basketball player... I'd love it if we could have him around."

Despite being sent to the G League, Lue surprisingly still wants to have Kawamura on the team. Unfortunately for him, it wasn't up to him whether Yuki could stay on the main roster or not. Despite the organization seeing him as a potential liability for the team, Lue sees the gold under the ashes.

On Sunday, Kawamura only got to play one preseason game with the Clippers. They took on the Toronto Raptors. Yuki had a good game, posting 10 points, four assists, and two steals. However, due to the Clippers' roster crunch, they had to make the tough decision to let Kawamura go.

The good news is, Yuki isn't necessarily prohibited from playing on the Clippers' main roster. Because he's playing for the team's G League affiliate, he's eligible for a two-way contract that would allow him to play for both LA and San Diego. But that means he needs to shine brightly in the G League if he wants to secure that two-way deal.

LA currently has a few open slots in their two-way roster, which means it's more than likely that we could see Kawamura play on the main roster again come the 2026-27 season. The chances are especially high due to coach Lue's endorsement of him.

Clippers HC Ty Lue Provides Update on Brandon Ingram's Return

The LA Clippers are in a tricky situation heading into the 2026-27 season. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer and two other executives were banned from the team for the entire upcoming season due to their illegal actions with Kawhi Leonard's contract last season.

Speaking of Leonard, he was traded to the Toronto Raptors, ending his long tenure with the Clippers. While the Clippers got a star in Brandon Ingram in exchange, he won't be available come the start of the season. This was due to an undisclosed injury he suffered during the 2025-26 season.

Apparently, Ingram had a partially torn Achilles tendon and underwent surgery in May. Because of this, he's still recovering, and there isn't a definite date for his return yet. Having that in mind, Clippers fans are now concerned about the future of the team.

Clippers head coach Ty Lue provided an update on Ingram's recovery to reassure fans that the process is going well so far.

"He's been increasing, he's been ramping up," Lue told NBA writer Tomer Azarly. "He's doing a lot more, so just seeing him on the floor, that's a good sign. It's going to still take some time; it's going to be a while, but just seeing him on the floor being able to do certain things has been good to see."

With Ingram out, Darius Garland is set to be the only star player on the team. It'll be interesting to see how Garland can lead the Clippers in an uber-competitive Western Conference.