After the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft, LA Clippers president of basketball operations Lawrence Frank voluntarily took his team out of the group of theoretical contenders.That part was easy.The Clippers were coming off a 42-40 season and missed the playoffs. They haven’t won a playoff series in five years. And while Frank said then that Kawhi Leonard would be key to the success of the franchise, the Clippers were preparing for the possibility that their run with Leonard might soon be over.“Plan still is to win with Kawhi,” Frank said in June. “But the bigger plan is we understand we’re not a contender. We’re competitive. How are we gonna get back to contention?”A little more than two months later, the Clippers’ answer to Frank’s question is beginning to take shape. As usual, the Clippers are coloring outside the lines.The Clippers agreed to trade Leonard to the Toronto Raptors a week after Frank’s declaration, a deal that would net them Brandon Ingram, an All-Star at Leonard’s position, Gradey Dick, a lottery pick entering the final year of his rookie contract, and draft capital. But the deal remains in limbo, with the Raptors pausing the transaction until the NBA decides on any punishment (or lack thereof) that may come from the yearlong investigation into allegations of salary-cap circumvention by the Clippers. With September here, Ingram and Dick remain under contract with Toronto, and Leonard is still under contract with the Clippers.Goodbyes have been left in the drafts — for now.How involved were the Clippers in Kawhi Leonard's side deals?The acquisition of 30-year-old small forward Max Strus in a five-team trade with the Denver Nuggets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards gave Frank another opportunity to reinforce his message from June’s draft and tell anyone listening that the Clippers are trying to win.“We are going to be a highly competitive team this season, and Max will be a big part of it,” Frank said in the statement announcing the Strus trade. “He fits anywhere, and we’re excited to bring him to LA.”Strus gives them a 37 percent 3-point shooter, offers some secondary ballhandling and will compete defensively. He’s also on an expiring contract worth $16.6 million. His arrival came just as the Clippers lost reserve wing Jordan Miller, who suffered a torn rotator cuff in a workout and is expected to remain out at least through the 2027 All-Star break.Bradley Beal, on the other hand, fits differently into the same transition.After undergoing season-ending surgery last November to repair a fracture in his left hip after only six games, Beal isn’t being brought back with the same expectations. Instead of being a starter on a contender, he has to prove he is healthy enough to earn a rotation spot. In the meantime, Beal has long been a mentor to Darius Garland, as Garland once played on Beal’s AAU team. Between Garland and fellow Missouri native Tyronn Lue, Beal has some important relationships within the organization and can, at minimum, be a sounding board for those two important stakeholders.