Gracen Halton was not part of the Clippers' decision, but Yuki Kawamura was: the team waived the 25-year-old guard on Monday night and cut its preseason roster to 20 players. The move also opened a spot on L.A.'s roster as the club moved on after two preseason games.
Kawamura left behind a short but efficient showing. He played 14 minutes off the bench in Saturday's loss to Toronto, scoring 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting and handing out four assists.
Yuki Kawamura and the Exhibit 10 path
He had been on an Exhibit 10 contract, a setup that can lead to another route if a player joins the affiliate and stays long enough. In Kawamura's case, that path runs through the San Diego Clippers and a $91K bonus if he spends at least 60 days there.
The waiver ends his current preseason run with L.A. for now. It also leaves the club with a leaner camp roster after a stretch in which Kawamura appeared in both preseason games so far.
Rui Hachimura and Kawamura
Kawamura arrived with a recent record that made the cut more notable. He made 40 NBA regular season appearances since his debut for Memphis in October 2024, including 18 games last season for Chicago, and averaged 2.5 points and 1.7 assists in 7.6 minutes per contest.
His production has been stronger in other settings. Kawamura averaged 18.7 points and 11.0 assists in 11 G League outings for the Windy City Bulls last season, after being named the B.League's Most Valuable Player in 2022/23 and leading the B.League in assists in 2023/24.
San Diego Clippers route
Kawamura also teamed up with Rui Hachimura with the Clippers this fall and competed alongside him on the Japanese national team in World Cup qualifiers during the summer. The next step depends on whether he chooses the G League route, where the 60-day requirement would make the bonus available.
For now, the roster move settles one question and leaves another open: L.A. made room immediately, and Kawamura's most direct path back runs through the affiliate he would need to join and stay with long enough to trigger the payment.
