The 1989–90 NBA season was the Clippers' 20th season in the National Basketball Association, and their 6th in Los Angeles. With the second overall pick in the 1989 NBA draft, the Clippers selected Danny Ferry out of Duke University. However, Ferry would never join the Clippers signing with a team in Italy. This would force General Manager Elgin Baylor into trading his draft rights to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Ron Harper. The Clippers were approaching .500 at 16–19 when Harper went down to a knee injury after 28 games. They managed to win their next two games, but would lose 12 of their next 14 games, including a 7-game losing streak. The Clippers lost their final five games of the season, finishing sixth in the Pacific Division with a 30–52 record.

Despite another 50-loss season, the team's second-year stars posted stellar seasons. Last year's top draft pick Danny Manning averaged 16.3 points per game after struggling with injuries during his rookie season, Charles D. Smith led the Clippers in scoring with 21.1 points per game, and guard Gary Grant led them with 10.0 assists per game.

The Clippers were involved in the following transactions during the 1989–90 season.

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