Run it back? A lot depends on Leonard
A look at the Clippers under contract, who is a free agent and what options are pending.
To reach the conference finals for the first time in their history, the Clippers relied heavily on familiar faces, with holdovers from last year playing more than 75% of postseason minutes.
Yet one of coach Tyronn Lue’s most effective postseason adjustments — the small-ball starting lineup — was enabled by inserting forward Nicolas Batum. When center Ivica Zubac hurt his right knee and missed Game 5 of the conference finals against Phoenix, DeMarcus Cousins filled in with 15 points off the bench. While Luke Kennard was used sparingly, it was often effective: He made 41% of his three-pointers in the playoffs.
All played elsewhere last season. The combination of holdovers and new blood resulted in the most successful team in Clippers history, but in the world of NBA roster building, the only constant is change. Who will be around in 2021-22?
Here’s a look at the roster entering the offseason.
The player options (2021-22 salaries via Spotrac)
Kawhi Leonard ($36 million)
Serge Ibaka ($9.7 million)
The offseason hinges around Leonard, the firstteam All-NBA forward who said in December that “if I’m healthy, the best decision is to decline the player option” and become a free agent. Leonard is not healthy after missing the last eight games because of a strained right knee, and if he is seeking long-term stability and cash given his injury history, he could exercise his option and sign an extension with a total payout north of $216 million over five years. He also could decline the player option and sign a contract for the maximum 35% of the salary cap allowed under the collective bargaining agreement because of his 10 years of experience. The maximum value of such a contract would be more than $176 million over four years. He also could sign shorter deals with player options, but having left money on the table by declining sizable contracts in San Antonio and Toronto, this is Leonard’s chance to cash in for long-term money.
Drawing more attention for his sideline fashion than his play in the postseason was not what the Clippers, or Ibaka, expected upon his signing last November. After the center averaged 12 points, 6.7 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 38% three-point shooting while scoring in double figures 19 times through 27 games, Ibaka appeared in only 16 more games the rest of the season for what he said was first a pinched nerve in his back. Back spasms sidelined him for all but two games during the playoffs, and the team said he eventually underwent surgery. Based on that incomplete season and the fact that he’ll be 32 in September, could he reasonably expect to draw an offer as an unrestricted free agent larger than his $9.7-million option?
The All-Star
Paul George ($39.3 million) The four-year, $190-million extension George signed before the season kicks in for 2021-22. 8
Locked up
8 Marcus Morris ($15.6 million)
8 Patrick Beverley ($14.3 million)
8 Luke Kennard ($12.7 million)
8 Rajon Rondo ($8.2 million)
8 Ivica Zubac ($7.5 million)
8 Daniel Oturu ($1.5 million)
8 Jay Scrubb ($449,000); twoway
Along with George, Morris and Kennard are on the Clippers’ books the longest. Morris’ deal ends with 202324, and the Clippers hold a team option for Kennard’s final season in 2024-25. Kennard’s fit within the rotation was in doubt early in the season, but he appeared to gain
the trust of coaches to the point that Lue inserted him in critical situations in the playoffs.
Should the Clippers pursue trades, given their dearth of draft picks through 2027, this group of players, minus Oturu, has the kind of contracts that make it easier to match salaries. Beverley missed 35 games during the season, and after being benched against Dallas in the first round, he showed against Utah and Phoenix why he has long been considered the team’s heartbeat. But how much trust does the front office have in his durability entering a season in which he will turn 33? His contract expires after next season, as does Rondo’s. Rondo didn’t influence the Clippers’ postseason like they expected upon trading for him in March; will the Clippers choose to run it back with Rondo at point?
He’ll be one year older but would have a full season under the tutelage of Lue.
Nonguaranteed
Terance Mann ($1.7 million)
Yogi Ferrell ($1.9 million)
Mann’s contract becomes guaranteed Aug. 1. After a rookie season in which he went back and forth between the G League and NBA to try a new position, the secondround pick established himself as a building block of the future during his second season with a much-improved jump shot and infectious energy. His 39 points against Utah in Game 6 to clinch the Clippers’ second-round victory instantly became one of the franchise’s all-time playoff performances. His salary will not soar next season, but his value already has.
Unrestricted free agents
(and their cap holds)
Patrick Patterson ($4 million)
Nicolas Batum ($1.6 million)
Reggie Jackson ($1.6 million)
DeMarcus Cousins ($1.6 million)
Jackson, 31, and Batum, 32, will become eye-of-thebeholder signings in free agency. After nearly deciding not to return for a 10th season, Jackson produced a reputation-altering bounceback season in which he made 41% of his playoff threepointers and became one of the most dependable scorers in the postseason. Is that the rock-solid shooter his future employer can expect, or will nagging injuries return and his numbers dip? The Clippers can offer him around $10 million per season, but if he can get more elsewhere, would he want to leave? Jackson has found a comfort zone playing alongside best friend George and for Lue, whom Jackson has credited with empowering him in the last eight months.
Likewise, can Batum produce another season like this? That’s what suitors will be asking leading up to free agency. Coming off a careerworst season in Charlotte, where he shot 28% from deep and 34% overall, Batum made 40% of his three-pointers, including 43% of his corner threes, and shot 46% overall before coming close to matching or exceeding those numbers in the postseason. He too expressed happiness at finding a home with the Clippers, but his attitude is so low maintenance and his skill set so malleable that he could fit in just about anywhere. Numerous contending teams wanted to sign him last November, and his production this season will only attract more.
Qualifying offer
Amir Coffey ($1.6 million)
The 6-foot-7 Coffey averaged 3.2 points in each of his first two seasons with the Clippers while playing on a two-way contract that is over. He can become a restricted free agent if the Clippers make a qualifying offer before free agency. Coffey wasn’t a consistent presence in the rotation, but his versatility makes it possible that he could be if given the opportunity. It seems unlikely he’d accept another two-way deal elsewhere. After the development of Mann, could the Clippers have another capable young wing player waiting on their bench?