The Clippers have three players who are perennial All-NBA candidates, and have racked up at least 51 victories in each of the last five seasons. However, they’ve also only won two playoff series during that stretch — that’s why, with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin headed toward potential free agency, there are so many calls for Los Angeles to blow things up this offseason. A full-scale rebuild seems unlikely, since the Clippers won’t want to lose their top free agents for nothing, and sign-and-trades are difficult to pull off under the current CBA. Still, changes of some sort are looming in the wake of another postseason disappointment.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Clippers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2017:
Guaranteed Salary
- DeAndre Jordan ($22,642,350)
- Jamal Crawford ($14,246,988)
- Austin Rivers ($11,825,000)
- Wesley Johnson ($5,881,260)
- Brice Johnson ($1,331,160)
- Diamond Stone ($1,312,611)
- Paul Pierce ($1,096,080) — Partial guarantee. Non-guaranteed portion noted below.1
- Carlos Delfino ($650,000) — Waived via stretch provision
- Jordan Farmar ($510,921) — Waived via stretch provision
- Miroslav Raduljica ($252,043) — Waived via stretch provision
- Total: $59,748,413
Player Options / Early Termination Options
- Chris Paul ($24,268,959) (ETO)
- Blake Griffin ($21,373,952) (ETO)
- Luc Mbah a Moute ($2,302,135) (PO)
- Marreese Speights ($2,116,955) (PO)
- Total: $50,062,001
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Paul Pierce ($2,583,760) — Partial guarantee. Guaranteed portion noted above.1
- Total: $2,583,760
Restricted Free Agents
- None
Cap Holds
- Chris Paul ($34,303,241) — If early termination option is exercised
- Blake Griffin ($30,211,259) — If early termination option is exercised2
- J.J. Redick ($14,017,250)
- Luc Mbah a Moute ($2,863,900) — If player option is declined
- Alan Anderson ($1,471,382)
- Brandon Bass ($1,471,382)
- Raymond Felton ($1,471,382)
- Marreese Speights ($1,471,382) — If player option is declined
- Total: $87,281,178
Trade Exceptions
- C.J. Wilcox TPE ($1,209,600) — Expires 7/15/17
Projected Salary Cap: $101,000,000
Maximum Cap Room: $36,357,897
- Determining the Clippers’ maximum cap space is a less interesting exercise than it is for most other teams, since there’s very little chance the Clips will part ways with all their free-agents-to-be in an effort to create cap room. Still, it’s worth noting that if the club renounces those free agents and exceptions, keeps its six guaranteed salaries, and accounts for six empty roster spots, that would result in a $64,642,103 team salary. A new deal for Paul would eat up most of that room, and if the Clippers are able to retain Griffin as well, that would send team salary way over the cap.
Footnotes:
- Pierce’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 30.
- Griffin’s cap hold can’t exceed his maximum salary, which is currently projected to be $30,300,000.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and The Vertical was used in the creation of this post.
Do you think you could write if the expiring contracts/player options would have bird rights?
Sure. Specifically for the Clippers, or for all these posts going forward?
For the Clippers, it’d be:
Bird: CP3, Griffin, Redick
Early Bird: Mbah a Moute
Non-Bird: Speights, Anderson, Bass, Felton