LOS ANGELES — Lawrence Frank was sitting in a hotel conference room after last week’s NBA draft had finished when the Clippers’ president of basketball operations remarked how nice it had been not to shake up the roster with a move.
The sentiment wasn’t limited to draft night. It underscored the entire offseason plan. The Clippers did have their eye on additions, such as a lead ballhandler. But Frank’s stated top priority was continuity, retaining as many of their own free agents as possible and holding together a core the team believes has the essential ingredients to compete for a championship in a modern NBA predicated on shooting, versatility and length.
As free agency opened Thursday across the NBA against the backdrop of Kevin Durant’s league-altering trade demand from Brooklyn, the Clippers stayed steady, quickly agreeing to deals to bring back two of their own in wings Nicolas Batum and Amir Coffey, while losing backup center Isaiah Hartenstein to New York on a two-year contract worth $16.7 million, a person familiar with the terms who is not authorized to speak publicly confirmed.
