Clippers to Add Mike Winger as General Manager, Trent Redden as Assistant GM

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Kevin Arnovitz, the L.A. Clippers have made a couple of big additions to their front office at the back end of a tumultuous summer that has seen Jerry West join the staff, Chris Paul traded, and Doc Rivers removed from his front office role as the President of Basketball Operations.

Mike Winger is reportedly set to join the Clippers as General Manager, while Trent Redden has agreed to the role of Assistant General Manager. There was somewhat of a void within the front office following the departures of Gary Sacks and Gerald Madkins.

Winger joins the Clippers’ staff as General Manger, moving up from his role as Assistant GM and Team Counsel for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wojnarowski writes that Winger, 37, “has developed a reputation as one of the league's most respected young executives.” In a March article breaking down up-and-coming front office executives across the NBA, Kevin Arnovitz wrote that Winger is an organized office manager with relationships around the league and exceptional CBA knowledge.

Winger will report directly to Lawrence Frank, the Clippers’ lead executive in charge of basketball operations. It’s unclear what the role-shifting will look like as Winger takes the place of Dave Wohl, who was the Clippers’ prior GM. Both departing executives (Sacks and Madkins) were Assistant General Managers.

Stepping into one of those assistant roles is Trent Redden, who was David Griffin’s main assistant (technically a Senior Vice President of Basketball Operations) in Cleveland before Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert overhauled the front office this summer after deciding not to pay to keep his current group together. Redden previously worked with Winger in Cleveland before Winger moved to Oklahoma City.

Redden was also profiled by Arnovitz as an up-and-coming executive, serving 11 years with the Cavaliers since beginning as an intern and seeing all phases of competing, rebuilding, and ultimately winning a championship.

Trent will turn 34 in October, giving the Clippers two young bright stars within the front office. These additions are an excellent indicator of Steve Ballmer’s commitment to continued success, even after the likely departure of Jerry West (who is 79 years old) in the coming years.