Only 28 points in the first half, the third quarter was once 25 points behind the opponent, in the absence of small cards, no George, the Clippers can also turn over, not only reflects the tenacity of this "civilian division", many people are also subdued by Lu's guidance. But while the role players are working on a playoff spot, the Clippers are brewing a big deal.
NBA reporter Jake Fisher broke the news that the Clippers intend to send Ibaka away, and Ibaka's old owner, the Thunder, is his potential next home. If the deal can be made, the purpose for both parties is exactly the same – to save money!
The Clippers' total salary is currently 166.5 million, more than the luxury tax line of 31.87 million, according to the regulations, they need to pay 93.9 million luxury taxes; if they can send Ibaka's $9.7 million contract this season, they can pay $40 million less luxury tax! The Thunder are currently the lowest-paid team in the NBA, and they are still $23 million away from the "poor ghost line". Considering that if the "poor ghost line" is not reached, it is also necessary to pay the difference penalty from the poor ghost line, so the Thunder also needs to increase the salary expenditure through transactions at this stage. And Ibaka has reached the contract year, this year's transaction to fill the salary space, can bring new people and do not affect the follow-up operation.
Of course, for the Clippers, they will not only send away Ibaka, but there may also be some names that we could not think of before, such as Little Morris, and the reason why the Clippers may want to do this is related to their goals!
Since Ka Jr. and George met in Los Angeles in the summer of 19, the Clippers have been a championship-level team. And George and Ka Jr. have also renewed their long contracts with the Clippers before, which means that as long as Ka Pepper can stay healthy, they are the favorite team for the championship. But the problem is that Both Ka Jr. and George are now injured, and when they come back is going to put a big question mark. There had been news that The Little Card might return this season, but Hoop Hype reporter Mike Scotto broke out that some people inside the Clippers believe that Leonard's return this season is unlikely. Jake Fischer burst out: "The Clippers are preparing for George's non-return this season. ”
If Little Card and George don't play this season, in fact, for the Clippers, the rest of the season can be described as desireless, and maybe they can concentrate on exercising Mann and Little Boston. It's also because the Clippers may be out of play this season, and they're sure to find ways to save money; Jake Fischer quoted a Western Conference executive as saying: "They're willing to discuss deals with anyone but their duo and Mann." They're open to the idea of falling out of the playoffs and restructuring next season, and they're trying to dump Morris. All the players who have a certain value, they all want to replace them with younger talents and cheaper contracts, giving them more room to operate in the offseason. ”
In the current Clippers lineup, there are actually a lot of high-quality assets; for example, this season has averaged 11, 7 points per game, a three-point shooting rate of 44.1%, and Kennard, who has also significantly improved in defense, has only $64 million in a four-year contract, and the fourth year is still a team option. Another example is the average contribution of 16.2 points per game, and the 3D attribute of Morris Jr., whose salary is $15.63 million this year, and the next two years is 16.37 million and 17.12 million. For example, although Bledsoe has a salary of 18.13 million this season, his contract next season is only guaranteed by $3.9 million; while Reggie. Although Jackson played a ghost game, the two-year 20 million contract is also very cost-effective! Even Zubac, he's only 24; 7.5 million a year, this summer's team options, these are theoretically very good chips.
And if the Clippers decide to tear down the team and send the immediate combat power away, it is obviously to make room for the Big Three this summer. And Harden, Bill, Irving can choose to jump out of the contract in the summer, LaVine will become a free agent, Ayton become a restricted free agent, will the Clippers do a big vote?