Los Angeles Clippers Team Salary

Quick: Over the cap.  Hard cap.  25th Pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Maximum space without trades in July ($60 million cap) = ~$11,306,011.

Exceptions:  TPE $1,622,617 (Reggie Evans, expires 7/11/13)

Acquisitions: Jamal Crawford signed via the Mid-Level Exception for four years, with unverified partial guarantees on the final two years.  Generated a $1.62 million trade exception and the right to swap 2016 second-round picks with the Brooklyn Nets for Reggie Evans (via S&T).  Chauncey Billups is back at $4 million for a season.  Blake Griffin signed a five-year, designated rookie scale exception.  The numbers can only be estimated until next summer when the new salary cap is announced.  Should Griffin win league MVP, get voted into the All-Star game as a starter or is selected to an All-NBA Team, he will be eligible for a much larger figure. Update: Griffin hit the super-max criteria by getting voted as an All-Star starter for the second-straight year.  Grant Hill also signed for two years via the Bi-Annual Exception.  Inked Ryan Hollins and Ronny Turiaf to one-year minimum deals.  Acquired Willie Green via sign and trade with the Atlanta Hawks using a trade exception on a three-year, $4.2 million deal (second/third years partial/non-guaranteed) and the rights to Sofocles Schortsianitis.  Signed Matt Barnes to a one-year, guaranteed minimum.  Camp invites include Marqus Blakely, Trent Plaisted, Hank Thorns, Courtney Fortson and Chris Johnson.  Signed Maalik Wayns and DaJuan Summer to a pair of 10-day contracts and then a pair of two-year deals (second season partial/non-guaranteed).

Waived Players: Courtney Fortson, Chris Johnson, Ryan Gomes, Hank Thorns, Trent Plaisted, Travis Leslie, Marqus Blakely, Trey Thompkins

Note:  Because the Clippers used their Mid-Level Exception, they have a hard cap throughout the 2012/13 NBA Season at $74.307 million.  Billups re-signed on a one-year deal with Bird Rights, giving him an implicit no-trade clause.

Roster Count: 15 guaranteed

Depth Chart*:
PG: Chris Paul, Eric Bledsoe, Maalik Wayns
SG:  Chauncey Billups, Jamal Crawford, Willie Green
SF: Caron Butler, Matt Barnes, Grant Hill
PF: Blake Griffin, Lamar Odom, DaJuan Summers
C: DeAndre Jordan, Ryan Hollins, Ronny Turiaf

*Note: Teams often adjust their depth chart throughout the season, sometimes game by game.

Free Agents:
Non-Bird: Bobby Simmons

Head Coach: Vacant

Unsigned Second-Round Picks: None

Amnesty: Ryan Gomes, $4 million

Pick Swaps:

2013 – Owe second-rounder (top-55 protected) to Detroit Pistons (Alex Acker).

2014 – Owe second-rounder (top-55 protected) to San Antonio Spurs (Bobby Brown, Curtis Jerrells).

2015 – Owe second-rounder (top-55 protected) to Denver Nuggets (Cheikh Samb).

2015 – Owe second-rounder (only in 51-55 range) to Houston Rockets (Hassan Adams, David Andersen).

2015 – Owed second-rounder (or cash) from Memphis Grizzlies (Mike James, Chris Paul).

2016 – Owe second-rounder (top-55 protected) to New Orleans Hornets (Rasual Butler).

2016 – Clippers have the right to swap second-rounders with the Brooklyn Nets (if Los Angeles’ pick is in 31-55 range, Reggie Evans).

Cash Paid ($3.1 million max): $0

Cap Holds
Key: B = Bird Rights; EB = Early Bird Rights; BR = Bird/Restricted; NB = Non-Bird;
DF = Declined Option on First-Round Scale; WB = Waived Bird; M = Minimum

Name20132014201520162018
TOTAL$42,105,603$23,572,291$18,258,763$8,512,500$22,389,415
Chris Paul$18,668,431-B
Lamar Odom$12,300,000-B
Chauncey Billups$7,600,000-B
Ryan Hollins$884,293-M
Ronny Turiaf$884,293-M
Bobby Simmons$884,293-M
Matt Barnes$884,293-M
Caron Butler$12,000,000-B
Eric Bledsoe $6,566,185-BR
Grant Hill$2,658,585-E
DeJuan Summers$1,232,279-E
Maalik Wayns$1,115,243-E
DeAndre Jordan $15,506,632-B
Willie Green$2,752,131-M
Jamal Crawford$8,512,500-B
Blake Griffin$22,389,415-B

What is a cap hold? A cap hold is the amount of space a free agent counts towards a team’s cap. These “cap holds” factor in when a team signs free agents. If they didn’t exist, a team could use their cap space to sign other free agents until the space was gone, and then re-sign their own free agents using the Bird exception. A cap hold cannot exceed the maximum contract offer that player can receive on the open market (as defined by years of experience – indicated in the table above by MAX followed by the years of experience). The cap hold disappears if the team renounces their own free agent, that free agent signs with a new team, or re-signs with the same team.

Notes: A free agent does not become restricted until the team issues a qualifying offer.  If a player’s option on a first-round rookie scale contract is declined (DF), the most the team can pay is the amount of the declined option (without using a larger exception or cap room).  Should a player allow for their Bird Rights to be waived during the season in trade (WB), the most the team can pay is 120% of their prior salary (without using a larger exception or cap room).

Qualifying offers do not count towards the total team salary for that season and are informational only.

Unsigned first-round picks (UF) are not guaranteed until signed but their salary counts against the cap during the offseason.  A typical UF gets a bump of 120% upon signing.

Players with at least three years of experience who are signed to a one-year, vet-min contract are only charged $854,389 to the cap and tax.  Actual salary amount, which applies to trades is listed under notes.

“Camp invites” can put a team over the hard cap but the math must be resolved by opening night.

Salary and team data changes quite often. If you notice a discrepancy, please notify HOOPSWORLD Senior Writer Eric Pincus.

(Updated 5/23/2013)