What happened: The Stein Line says the Clippers prefer to retain Mathurin but remain open to sign-and-trade proposals. Los Angeles extended Mathurin a qualifying offer last month, preserving its matching rights.

Why it matters: New Orleans would need an unmatched offer sheet or the Clippers' cooperation on a sign-and-trade to land him. The talks give the Pelicans another route to add scoring for 2026-27.

What to watch: Watch whether negotiations produce an offer sheet or sign-and-trade framework, then how the Clippers respond.