After trading away Chris Paul in the summer of 2017 and Blake Griffin at the 2018 trade deadline, the Clippers moved leading scorer Tobias Harris at 2019’s deadline. Somehow, the club looked better than ever after the exodus of its stars, posting a 18-8 record down the stretch and securing a playoff spot. While Los Angeles’ playoff run was brief, the team notched a pair of impressive victories over the Warriors before being eliminated, and now heads into the offseason well positioned to land a star.
Here’s where things currently stand for the Clippers financially, as we continue our Offseason Salary Cap Digest series for 2019:
Guaranteed Salary
- Danilo Gallinari ($22,615,559)
- Lou Williams ($8,000,000)
- Montrezl Harrell ($6,000,000)
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($3,952,920)
- Jerome Robinson ($3,567,720)
- Landry Shamet ($1,995,120)
- Total: $46,131,319
Player Options
- None
Team Options
- None
Non-Guaranteed Salary
- Sindarius Thornwell ($1,618,520) 1
- Tyrone Wallace ($1,588,231) 2
- Total: $3,206,751
Restricted Free Agents
- Rodney McGruder ($3,021,354 qualifying offer / $3,021,354 cap hold): Bird rights
- Ivica Zubac ($1,931,189 qualifying offer / $1,931,189 cap hold): Bird rights
- Johnathan Motley (two-way qualifying offer / $1,443,842 cap hold): Early Bird rights 3
- Total: $6,396,385
Unrestricted Free Agents / Other Cap Holds
- Wilson Chandler ($19,200,843): Bird rights
- Garrett Temple ($15,200,000): Bird rights
- JaMychal Green ($14,566,667): Bird rights
- Patrick Beverley ($9,551,353): Bird rights
- Angel Delgado ($1,443,842): Non-Bird rights
- Total: $59,962,705
Projected Salary Cap: $109,000,000
Projected Tax Line: $132,000,000
Offseason Cap Outlook
- Realistic cap room projection: $56.5MM
- This projection assumes that the Clippers retain their six players on guaranteed contracts and keep Zubac’s cap hold on their books. Hanging onto any other players would reduce this figure.
- On the other hand, if the Clips were able to trade Gallinari without taking back any salary, they could keep Zubac and their other five guaranteed contracts and increase their cap projection to $78.2MM. That would be more than enough space for two maximum salary free agents.
Cap Exceptions Available
- Room exception: $4,760,000 4
Footnotes
- Thornwell’s salary becomes fully guaranteed after June 20.
- Wallace’s salary becomes partially guaranteed ($300K) after September 12.
- The salaries for two-way players don’t count against a team’s cap, but their cap holds do during the offseason.
- This is a projected value. In the unlikely event the Clippers remain over the cap, they’d instead have access to the full mid-level exception ($9,246,000), the bi-annual exception ($3,619,000), and three trade exceptions (their most valuable TPE is worth $9,800,000 and expires on 2/6/20).
Note: Minimum-salary and rookie-scale cap holds are estimates based on salary cap projections and could increase or decrease depending on where the cap lands.
Salary information from Basketball Insiders and RealGM was used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
This team is so good financially. They have only 6 guy under contract next year and aside from Danilo everyone is outperforming their contract.
Jerry West.
The Clips are going to have to get somebody big. Could be Kawhi, could be someone else, but they will have to get someone big. Either way, they will be one of the more entertaining teams this off season.
Not exactly sure how they are going to move Danilo without taking back salary, but I guess it is theoretically possible. Regardless, they should be able to add a couple of interesting players alongside a max guy.
They’re positioned to do well in the FA market. And if Leonard does sign with them, moving Dino and gaining additional cap room – signing another to FA would really them in position to challenge GS and Houston going forward. I like what they’re doing…
Use Gallinaris contract in a trade for someone like Beal?
Que?!
No se
The Clips need forwards, people. They were starting Jamychel Green vs. GSW, their best PF if Harrell is a center.
They should hang onto McGruder’s $3mm cap hold. That takes cap space from 56.5mm to 53.5mm. Not a big deal especially if they can move Gallinari. If the Nets strike out I could see them taking Gallo into cap space along with a future 1st for a non guaranteed like Shabazz Napier, who the Clips should and would most likely keep.