[2][3][4][5][6] During the off-season, the team signed free agents Darrick Martin,[7][8] and former All-Star center Kevin Duckworth.
[9][10] With the loss of Brian Williams to free agency, the Clippers were expected to sink in the bottom of the NBA again.
[20][21] However, in the Western Conference First Round of the playoffs, the Clippers were swept by the top-seeded Utah Jazz in three straight games.
[22][23][24][25] The Jazz would reach the NBA Finals for the first time, but would lose to the defending champion Chicago Bulls in six games.
Roster Last transaction: 2009-10-04 A number of players from the 1996–97 roster have either died prematurely, or ended up in unfortunate circumstances; these players are: [43][better source needed] Interestingly enough, one player, Brent Barry, would enjoy a long and productive career in the NBA, winning two titles (2005 and 2007) with the San Antonio Spurs, as well as being a consistent starter for the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2000s, but was divorced from his wife Erin in 2011, allegedly due to an extra-marital affair with his Spurs teammate Tony Parker.