On June 28, 2000, Maggette was traded, along with Keyon Dooling, Derek Strong, and cash considerations, to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a 2006 first-round pick. During his career with the Clippers, Maggette, whose teammates nicknamed him "Maximus," established himself as a solid forward and developed into a perennial 15+ per game scorer. He became known for excellent jumping ability as well as his propensity to create contact and get to the free throw line – he was consistently among the league leaders in free throws attempted and made. Maggette participated in the Slam Dunk Contest at the 2001 NBA All-Star Weekend and experienced a good year in 2004–05, touting career-highs in points, rebounds, assists and free throw percentage. Bothered by a nagging foot injury, he sat out much of the 2005–06 season. On April 22, 2006, Maggette and his teammates helped the Clippers win their first NBA playoff game in 13 years by defeating the Denver Nuggets in Game 1 of their first-round match-up. Two days later, the team won their second playoff game, going 2–0 against an opponent for the first time in franchise history. On May 1, 2006, they defeated the Nuggets in Game 5 and, as a result, their first playoff series since they moved from Buffalo. In the Western Conference semifinals, the Clippers faced the Phoenix Suns and lost in seven games. In a series-saving 118–106 Game 6 win over the Suns, Maggette came off the bench to score 25 points while shooting 7-of-8 shooting from the field and 9-of-9 from the free throw line – the best playoff performance of his career.