Despite the arrival of Elgin Baylor to Clippers front office, the 1986-87 season proved to be a difficult one. The Clippers didn't have a first-round draft pick in the 1986 NBA Draft, and they managed to wring only one game and six minutes of playing time out of the two players they did draft. Injuries robbed the Clippers of the services of Norm Nixon, who missed the entire season, and Marques Johnson, who sat out all but 10 games. Los Angeles also traded Derek Smith and Junior Bridgeman prior to the season, sending both to the Sacramento Kings in a deal that brought Larry Drew and Mike Woodson to the Clippers. The end result was an painful 12-70 record.

The Clippers started the season respectably enough, posting a 3-3 record through the first six games, but the bottom fell out after that. Following a 115-112 win over the Nuggets on November 11, Los Angeles lost a dozen consecutive games. Seattle obliged the Clippers by falling to them on December 10, but 16 more losses ensued. Denver fell to the Clippers for a second time on January 14, which led to yet another losing streak, this time lasting five games. In the wake of a 20-point defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Bucks on January 26, the Clippers were 5-36 and seemed poised to break Philadelphia's all-time futility record of only nine wins in a season. However, Los Angeles managed to win 5 of its next 13 games, reaching the end of February with 10 victories. But the rest of the season was still tenuous, as the team only managed to tally two more victories for the season.

At the end of the 1986-87 season, the Clippers replaced Coach Chaney, bringing back Gene Shue. But Shue didn't fare much better during the 1987-88 campaign. Los Angeles won eight games during the first two months of the season, then eked out only nine more wins in the final four months to finish at 17-65.

There was a bit of suspense on the final day of the campaign. Clippers forward Michael Cage and Chicago Bulls forward Charles Oakley had battled all season for the league's rebounding crown. Cage needed a big day on the boards against Seattle on April 24, and he pulled down 30 rebounds in that contest to edge Oakley by the slimmest of margins-13.03 rebounds per game to 13.00. However, the Clippers dealt Cage to the SuperSonics after the season for draft rights to Gary Grant and a 1989 first-round draft choice.

The franchise got lucky during the offseason. On May 21, 1988, the Clippers won the NBA Draft Lottery for the first time, and five weeks later the team used the No. 1 pick in the draft to select Danny Manning, a multitalented 6-10 forward from the University of Kansas. But Manning went down with a knee injury only 26 games into the 1988-89 season and was lost for the rest of the schedule. In Manning's absence the Clippers received strong contributions from rookie forward Charles Smith (16.3 ppg) and second-year forward Ken Norman (18.1 ppg).

However, the Clippers continued to struggle. After 38 games Shue was replaced as head coach by Don Casey, who had coached nine seasons at Temple University and had then spent two years as an NBA assistant. With Casey at the helm the team went 11-33 to finish at 21-61 overall.

In the 1989 NBA Draft Lottery the Clippers lucked out once again, this time winning the second overall pick. Los Angeles selected Duke's Danny Ferry, but Ferry refused to sign with the struggling club and opted instead to play professionally in Italy. General Manager Elgin Baylor effectively stopped the bleeding when, two weeks into the 1989-90 season, he traded Ferry's rights along with Reggie Williams to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ron Harper, a pair of first-round draft choices, and a second-round pick. (Ferry would return to the United States and join the Cavs for the 1990-91 season.)

The 1989-90 Clippers seemed to be a talented team on the rise. The club now featured such promising young players as Manning, Smith, Harper, and Norman. The team had also stockpiled several No. 1 picks in the coming years. But bad luck continued to plague the franchise. Los Angeles had won six of seven games in mid-January to climb to 16-19 when Harper tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and was lost for the season-the same type of injury that had knocked Manning out the year before. In 28 games with the Clippers he averaged 23.0 points. The injury took the wind out of the Clippers' sails, and the team won only 14 more games the rest of the way, finishing at 30-52.

Manning returned from injury to play 71 games and average 16.3 points and 5.9 rebounds, leading the team in field-goal percentage at .533. Smith had a splendid all-around season, contributing 21.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.53 blocks per contest. Norman (16.1 ppg) also made strong offensive contributions, while Benoit Benjamin led the team in rebounding (9.3 rpg) and blocked shots (2.63 per game).

After the 1989-90 season the Clippers replaced Coach Don Casey with Mike Schuler and continued to add young blood. With two first-round picks in the 1990 NBA Draft, Los Angeles selected Bo Kimble and Loy Vaught. Then, midway through the 1990-91 campaign, Los Angeles traded Benjamin to Seattle for Olden Polynice.

The 1990-91 Clippers won more games at home than they lost, a feat the franchise hadn't pulled off in five years. However, the team managed to tread water until December 14, when it slipped below .500 after a humiliating 40-point loss to the Chicago Bulls. When the dust finally settled the Clippers owned a 31-51 record and sixth place in the Pacific Division.

Charles Smith had another fine campaign, leading the team in scoring (20.0 ppg), rebounding (8.2 rpg), and blocked shots (145). Harper missed the season's first 41 games while recovering from his injured knee, but he returned to average 19.6 points in 39 contests. Norman continued his strong play at both forward spots, contributing 17.4 points per game, while Manning added 15.9 points per contest on .519 shooting from the field.

The trades and draft picks of the Elgin Baylor era began to bear fruit during the 1991-92 campaign. With Manning and Harper leading the charge, the team jumped out to a 5-2 start. On November 30 the Clippers beat the Charlotte Hornets, 130-112. That win was the first of eight straight, the longest winning streak for the franchise since 1979.

After putting together a 14-10 record the team sputtered, and Head Coach Mike Schuler was replaced by Larry Brown, who left his post with the San Antonio Spurs. Los Angeles was 22-25 when Brown took over, and he whipped the team into contention by piloting it to a 23-12 record during the final three months of the season. That gave the Clippers a 45-37 mark. After 12 straight losing seasons the team had finished with a winning record.

The Clippers also earned a playoff berth. The last time the franchise had seen postseason action had been in 1976, when the team was still the Buffalo Braves. Los Angeles faced the Jazz in the first round of the playoffs and lost the first two games in Utah. The Clippers then evened the series by winning both games at home, although Game 4 was played in Anaheim because of the rioting in Los Angeles following the Rodney King verdict. Back in Utah for Game 5, the Jazz ended the Clippers' short playoff run with a 98-89 victory.

During the regular season Manning had developed into one of the league's best all-around forwards. Playing all 82 games for the first time in his career, he led the Clippers in scoring (19.3 ppg) and field-goal percentage (.542) while adding 6.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.65 steals, and 1.49 blocks per game. Harper also played his first full season and poured in 18.2 points per contest. Veteran point guard Doc Rivers, acquired from the Atlanta Hawks prior to the season, provided stability in the backcourt, sharing playmaking duties with Gary Grant and contributing 10.9 points and 3.9 assists per game.

The Clippers were involved in another big trade shortly before the 1992-93 campaign began. As part of a three-team deal, Los Angeles surrendered Rivers, Bo Kimble, and Charles Smith to the New York Knicks, and a first-round draft choice to the Orlando Magic. In return the franchise acquired point guard Mark Jackson from the Knicks and center Stanley Roberts from the Magic, while the Knicks sent the Magic a first-round draft choice. Later that fall the Clippers sent William Bedford and the draft rights to Don MacLean to the Washington Bullets for John Williams. The trades gave the Clippers an All-Star point guard as well as plenty of bulk in the middle-Williams and Roberts each weighed a reported 295 pounds, although most observers suspected that both players tipped the scales at well over 300.

The Clippers lost three straight to start the 1992-93 season but finished November with a 7-6 record. A winning December followed, marking the first time since 1974 that the franchise had started a season with two consecutive winning months. When Los Angeles defeated Golden State by a single point on January 29, the club was assured of starting the month of February with a winning record, the first time that had happened since the franchise had left Buffalo.

The team split a dozen games in February, then struggled through March with a 6-10 mark. Head Coach Larry Brown rallied the troops in April, and a 7-5 record gave the Clippers a 41-41 mark for the year. Manning led the team in scoring with 22.8 points per game, and he made the first All-Star Game appearance by a Clippers player since Marques Johnson in 1986. Jackson fueled the Clippers' offense to the tune of 8.8 assists per game.

For a second straight year the Clippers made it into the playoffs. Los Angeles faced the Houston Rockets, and the series went the limit before the Rockets ousted the Clippers with an 84-80 win in Game 5.

Larry Brown moved on to coach the Indiana Pacers for the 1993-94 season, but the Clippers began the season very competitive under new head coach Bob Weiss. The Clippers were 9-10 by mid-December, but unfortunately stumbled to 16-29 by the All-Star break and finished the season at 27-55.

One personnel change kept things interesting in the Clippers' camp during the second half. At the February 24 trading deadline, Danny Manning, the team's leading scorer, was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Dominique Wilkins, who for years had been one of the NBA's top scorers and most exciting players.

Wilkins sparked the club to five straight wins after the trade, and the team entered March like a lion. However, they finished the month like a lamb, winning only 3 of their final 17 games. Wilkins finished the season with 26.0 points per game, fourth in the league. Ron Harper added 20.1 points per contest, and Mark Jackson ranked eighth in the league in assists (8.6 apg). After the season Clippers management fired Weiss and replaced him with Bill Fitch.

The loss of Dominique Wilkins and Ron Harper to free agency robbed the Los Angeles Clippers of their two best scorers in 1994-95, while injuries kept the team's two top big men, Stanley Roberts and Elmore Spencer, out of action for practically all season. (Spencer played only 19 games.) These events left the club extremely thin on talent, and the results were disastrous. The Clippers ended the 1994-95 campaign with a 17-65 record, tying the 1987-88 and 1981-82 Clippers for the second-worst record in franchise history. Only the 12-70 team of 1986-87 was worse.

Los Angeles opened the season by losing 16 games in a row, 1 short of the NBA record for consecutive losses to start a season. The Clippers ranked 24th in the league in field-goal percentage at .444 while allowing opponents to post a league-high .496 mark. The team lost 43 games by 10 or more points and led the league in personal fouls with 2,152. But under Head Coach Bill Fitch, who returned to the sidelines after two seasons away, the Clippers played hard every night and often challenged superior teams into the fourth quarter.
Forward Loy Vaught was the team's steadiest performer, averaging 17.5 points and 9.7 rebounds. Point guard Pooh Richardson, obtained from the Indiana Pacers in exchange for Mark Jackson, averaged 7.9 assists and joined Charles Outlaw (1.86 blocks per game) as the only Clippers to place on an NBA top 10 list. Rookie Lamond Murray was the team's second-leading scorer at 14.1 points per game, and fellow freshman Eric Piatkowski showed potential by finishing second on the team in three-pointers made with 74.

Los Angeles owned the second overall pick in the 1995 NBA Draft and selected underclassman Antonio McDyess out of Alabama. Later on draft day, the Clippers traded McDyess and guard Randy Woods to the Denver Nuggets for Rodney Rogers and the draft rights to Brent Barry.

The Clippers were one of the most improved teams in the NBA in 1995-96. Brian Williams (acquired before the season for Elmore Spencer) and longtime Clipper Loy Vaught quickly established the fact that the Clippers would not be pushed around, leading the team to a 6-3 start.

Although they tailed off and ultimately finished at 29-53, they did post a 12-win improvement over 1994-95. Williams was a major reason why. He put up career numbers in scoring (15.8 ppg), rebounding (7.6 rpg) and assists (1.9 apg) and was a candidate for the NBA's Most Improved Player award.

Vaught continued to put up steady numbers in Los Angeles, leading the team in points (16.1 ppg) and rebounds (10.1 rpg).

Perhaps the most recognizable player on the Clippers by season's end was Brent Barry, son of Hall of Famer Rick Barry. Barry averaged 10.1 points per game in his rookie season, and was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. During All-Star Weekend, he took off from the free throw line and completed a "Jordan-esque," gravity-defying dunk to win the Slam-Dunk Championship.

Coach Bill Fitch, who had to endure substantial injuries to Stanley Roberts, Pooh Richardson, Malik Sealy and Rodney Rogers, did reach a career milestone, garnering his 865th win on Nov. 12 to move into fourth on the NBA's all-time win list.

Preseason picks by nearly everyone to finish at or near the bottom of the Western Conference standings, Head Coach Bill Fitch and the Clippers spent the 1996-97 season proving the experts wrong, posting 36 wins and earning their first trip to the playoffs since the 1992-93 season.

The Clippers overcame the free agent departure of Brian Williams and injuries to three big men to reach the postseason party, compensating for their lack of size with true grit and team basketball. On their way to the playoffs, the Clippers handed the Utah Jazz one of their 18 losses, posted wins over the Rockets and Sonics and notched two victories over their crosstown rivals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Utah exacted its revenge with a first-round sweep of the Clippers in the playoffs, but that failed to diminish the positives. Loy Vaught, one of the game's most underrated players, tied for eighth in the league in rebounds (10.0 rpg) and was the team's high-scorer (14.9 ppg).

Vaught was surrounded by an unselfish nucleus that included guards Malik Sealy, Darrick Martin, Terry Dehere and Pooh Richardson, forwards Brent Barry, Rodney Rogers, Charles Outlaw and Lamond Murray and center Lorenzen Wright. Each averaged better than 14 minutes per game for Fitch, who produced one of his best coaching efforts after undergoing emergency triple-bypass surgery two months before training camp.

The Clippers were deemed overachievers in 1997-98, so a 17-65 season in 1997-98 was a hard pill to swallow for veteran coach Bill Fitch. The tone for the 1997-98 season was set early, when Loy Vaught's degenerative disc condition in his lower back limited him to only 10 early-season games. Stepping it up in the absence of Vaught and free-agent losses Malik Sealy and Bo Outlaw was forward Lamond Murray, who enjoyed his finest pro season, averaging 15.5 ppg and 6.1 rpg. Murray, in his fourth pro season, led the team in scoring and was also solid defensively, leading Los Angeles with 1.45 steals per game.

Murray was one of six players to average double-figures under Fitch, who employed a multitude of different starting lineups this season and had 11 players that averaged 10 or more minutes per game, including Maurice Taylor (11.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg), a promising rookie from Michigan. The team's leading rebounder was second-year pro Lorenzen Wright, who averaged 8.8 rpg.

Wins were tough to come by, despite a team that never quit. The Clippers came up with their most impressive win on Feb. 3, a 111-102 victory over the Utah Jazz, the eventual conference champion. Coach Fitch reached a milestone on February 25, when the Clippers recorded a 117-108 win over Philadelphia. The win was #939 for the 63-year-old coach, moving him past Red Auerbach into second place in career NBA wins. His milestone win featured a solid 19-point, 12-rebound effort from Isaac Austin, who had been acquired only days earlier from the Miami Heat in exchange for Brent Barry. Austin, a hard-working center, averaged 13.5 ppg and 7.1 rpg on the season and ended the year as the Clippers' staring center.

Fitch's most memorable win this season may have been his 941st, on March 13. The Clippers out-dueled the Toronto Raptors, 152-120, in perhaps the craziest NBA contest played all season. The Clippers shot 69.3 percent from the field, and their 152 points were the most in any NBA game since Dallas scored 156 in a double-overtime victory over Houston on April 11, 1995.

The highlight of the Clippers' season occurred weeks after the season was over. Los Angeles drew the top overall selection in the 1998 NBA Draft Lottery and tabbed center Michael Olowokandi. The Clippers began the off-season hoping to lure free agents and keep the talented players they have, including Austin. They also began their search for a coach to replace Fitch, relieved of his duties after four seasons on the Clippers' bench.

A rocky start to the lockout-shortened season was too much for the Los Angeles Clippers to overcome, despite the play of second-year forward Maurice Taylor. Taylor averaged 16.8 points in 32.7 minutes per game and shot 46.1 percent from the field, leading the team in all three categories.

Los Angeles also added three notable newcomers: coach Chris Ford, who brought experience from his head-coaching stints with Boston and Milwaukee; center Michael Olowokandi, the top overall pick in the draft; and rookie swingman Tyrone Nesby. three categories.

Olowokandi averaged 8.9 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.22 blocks in 28.4 minutes per game and was named to the All-Rookie Second Team. Nesby, who went undrafted out of UNLV, earned a spot on the Clippers' roster and contributed 10.1 points and 1.54 steals per game. three categories.

A 107-105 loss to Seattle on May 5 marked the Clippers' final regular-season game at the L.A. Sports Arena, their home since 1984. In 1999-2000 the team would move into the Staples Center, a brand-new arena the Clippers would share with the Los Angeles Lakers.