Kawhi signs 3y/$152.4M contract extension, fully guaranteed, no player option

[og15]

PG is a 30 million dollar player at best. his handling has fallen off a cliff. When he starts trying to dribble past a guy its almost always a turnover or a bad shot. Not a max player, and he is only getting worse. He might score a lot of points but not as good as Harden/Kawhi. If he wants more than 30million i let him walk and resign Harden. Give Russ 20 million. and then fill in our new pieces.

You need to get updated on NBA contracts, that's really all there is to it. It's good you're not the one in charge of building this team.

You realize you cant give 50 million to more than 2 players in the next CBA right?

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-cba-101-everything-to-know-about-new-agreement-from-salary-cap-to-free-agency-and-beyond/

Quoting from the article you cited, as I'm not sure where you read that in the breakdown:

Speaking of the supermax, the new CBA does make one direct change that addresses it. In the past, teams were limited to only two players at each tier of supermax: the Rose Rule version that applied to younger players coming off of rookie contracts as well the designated veteran version for players with at least seven years of experience. This proved especially problematic in trade negotiations, as teams were forbidden from having multiple players on their roster with that Rose Rule designation if they did not draft at least one of them. This prevented the Boston Celtics from trading for Anthony Davis when they had Kyrie Irving, and it could have impacted trade negotiations involving Ben Simmons over the past two offseasons.

Those restrictions have been lifted, and teams are now free to give the supermax to any player that is eligible for it.

...but here is from Woj last year

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?t=7evkxD1nszVZ9ecJszbAwQ&s=19

Regardless of all that, Kawhi signed a 3 year extension, and it's not a supermax extension, so even if that was still in play, it wouldn't be in play.

And also, again, let's even say that it was still true, how does that address why that makes George a max $30 million player at best?

Salary cap is $136M, if we're looking at the different cap tiers, we have 25%, 30%, 35%. A 30% cap player is already at $41 million starting salary. A $30 million player is 22% of the cap.

$30 million players are either guys coming off their rookies contracts who weren't eligible for higher max contracts, or guys like DeRozan, Middleton, etc. Guys like Poole, Jerami Grant, etc making around $28 million this season in the current NBA salary landscape. Anyone thinking Paul George is an under 30% of cap player simply is misinformed on what tiers of players get what types of salaries in the NBA, it's not even a debatable situation.

Paul George makes $45 million this season. Next season he has a $48.8 million player option, so of course extension wise, if you're not getting him to that amount, then he might as well just pick up his option.

[playaloc916]

I like the signing. I think 3 years is about right. I think Kawhi himself mentioned that he'd be 35(?) by the end of that contract and he'd see how he feels at that time.

Now that he's locked in, no worrying about him walking and getting nothing in return, and the length isn't too bad if something goes wrong. You got your face of the franchise going into the new arena. I'm assuming by retaining Kawhi, core players will want to return as well.

I really hope the team can retain Harden. After seeing how he gets Kawhi, PG, and Zu tons of great looks, I can't imagine going back to the days of Kawhi and PG handling the ball too much and then turning it over or getting locked up and settling for a heavily contested shot.

[esqtvd]

I like the signing. I think 3 years is about right. I think Kawhi himself mentioned that he'd be 35(?) by the end of that contract and he'd see how he feels at that time.

Now that he's locked in, no worrying about him walking and getting nothing in return, and the length isn't too bad if something goes wrong. You got your face of the franchise going into the new arena. I'm assuming by retaining Kawhi, core players will want to return as well.

I really hope the team can retain Harden. After seeing how he gets Kawhi, PG, and Zu tons of great looks, I can't imagine going back to the days of Kawhi and PG handling the ball too much and then turning it over or getting locked up and settling for a heavily contested shot.

After 2 bitter divorces and two other failed marriages, I don't know where else Beard will have to go at age 35. I don't think the Clips gave up very much at all--if any other team was interested, it wouldn't have been hard to top our offer.

Beard has made over $300 million in the NBA and lots more in endorsements. He shouldn't have to follow the money at this stage, and only a rebuilding team like Houston has the cap room--and they decided last summer they didn't want him either, even as a UFA.

[wco81]

What, Harden has been through 4 marriages?

[Clemenza]

I don’t think we need a messiah – we need one piece, but it needs to be the right piece. We need a Bobby Portis type player. First guy off the bench, slots in at either PF/C, can spread the floor. Has to have enough size to play with (most) Cs, and enough lateral quicks to stay with (most) PFs. For a couple of years, I’ve said the Clippers should make/have made a move on Trey Lyles, who fits that bill. He’s probably not a starter. He plays about 80 percent of his team’s games, so he’ll miss 15 games or so in most seasons. He doesn’t have any aspect of his game that stands out. But he’s a solid contributor, can do a little of everything, and has a range of skills that allows to him to stay in games when he has different purposes. With the Kings, he’s more defense oriented (and is often their only big that is). He helps them win. He makes $8 million a year. He’d be perfect. Is he better than Theis or Plum? He’d be a better fit for us, since he can play PF and hits threes at a decent clip. We need a guy like him.

PG is a 30 million dollar player at best. his handling has fallen off a cliff. When he starts trying to dribble past a guy its almost always a turnover or a bad shot. Not a max player, and he is only getting worse. He might score a lot of points but not as good as Harden/Kawhi. If he wants more than 30million i let him walk and resign Harden. Give Russ 20 million. and then fill in our new pieces.

29 pt
12-22 Fg
5-9 3-pt
7 reb
6 asst
2 stl
1 blk
0 TOs
plus+15 [team best]

OK MTV sock puppet

Psst. Don't forget the D.

You damn near just described Daniel Theis and to a smaller extent Kobe Brown on a good day

[wakelaunch1]

I don’t think we need a messiah – we need one piece, but it needs to be the right piece. We need a Bobby Portis type player. First guy off the bench, slots in at either PF/C, can spread the floor. Has to have enough size to play with (most) Cs, and enough lateral quicks to stay with (most) PFs. For a couple of years, I’ve said the Clippers should make/have made a move on Trey Lyles, who fits that bill. He’s probably not a starter. He plays about 80 percent of his team’s games, so he’ll miss 15 games or so in most seasons. He doesn’t have any aspect of his game that stands out. But he’s a solid contributor, can do a little of everything, and has a range of skills that allows to him to stay in games when he has different purposes. With the Kings, he’s more defense oriented (and is often their only big that is). He helps them win. He makes $8 million a year. He’d be perfect. Is he better than Theis or Plum? He’d be a better fit for us, since he can play PF and hits threes at a decent clip. We need a guy like him.

29 pt
12-22 Fg
5-9 3-pt
7 reb
6 asst
2 stl
1 blk
0 TOs
plus+15 [team best]

OK MTV sock puppet

Psst. Don't forget the D.

You damn near just described Daniel Theis and to a smaller extent Kobe Brown on a good day

I love Theis and the energy he brings. I was hoping for more minutes from Brown but Lue is obsessed with being smaller. Brown kinda plays smaller than his size. Trayce Jackson Davis would have solved this but GM wasted a pick on Miller who will most likely never see the court playing behind a million players in the same position. Boston has the same problem.

[TrueLAfan]

You damn near just described Daniel Theis and to a smaller extent Kobe Brown on a good day

You know—yes, to an extent. Theis was more a PF 5-6 years ago. He had just enough foot speed and quicks to stay with PFs. He may have more in his early 20s; he didn’t move to the NBA until he was 25. But he plays much more as a C, and his physical condition now (Theis has had multiple knee surgeries and a torn plantar fascia to boot) has made him more of a C. It’s good for us—Indiana wouldn’t have let him go if he’d been better at PF than he is. And I think Theis *can* play a little at PF, just not much. He’s also not much of a perimeter scoring/shooting threat—he can shoot threes, but doesn’t do it as much as he used to because he’s more of an interior player now. It was never his strength. He’s an interior player.

Between him and, say, Lyles, the differences are small but significant. Lyles shoots a lot of threes, and is a 35% career shooter. Lyles is more durable; he has lots of 70+ game seasons; Theis doesn’t have any. But it’[s mainly positional at this point. If we could get 27 year old Daniel Theis—when played more and hadn’t been hurt as much—he’d be great. But even then, in his two seasons as a 24 mpg starter at C, he was almost always a C. We need a tweener, a decent one. Not a great one. Theis is a backup C. Love him, but that’s what he is.

And I’m a Kobe Brown guy—I’ve likely seen and read more about him than anyone here, since I live in Columbia, MO. I think he can be a player in the NBA. The jump between that and being a high rotation player—like a 6th or 7th man—is, however, very large.

[esqtvd]

What, Harden has been through 4 marriages?

It's a metaphor. Especially the 2 bitter divorces.

[ERClips]

What, Harden has been through 4 marriages?

It's a metaphor. Especially the 2 bitter divorces.

If it wasn’t a metaphor Harden wouldn’t be able to retire until he’s 65

[esqtvd]

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CP3, Blake, and DJ ate up 2/3 or 3/4 of the salary cap. There was never any money to bring in others. They never took a DIME less to build a team. It was every man for himself.

Lob City was NEVER a team. I never thought we had a chance, except for a week or two here and there. Every man for himself on the court, and off.

In fact, the only one I'd give you 2 cents for was Jamal. As much as people accuse him of being a selfish gunner, he just stood up and took the shots everybody else were too timid to take. Every single teammate he ever had LOVES Jamal.

CP, Blake, DJ...not so much.

[wco81]

But these players are on their second or third max-level contracts.

Was that true with CP3, Blake and DJ?

And Kawhi gave up a few million but he's still getting $50 million + a year.

Harden would presumably get over $35 million a year, if not over $40 million or more.

So it's not a HUGE sacrifice.

[esqtvd]

But these players are on their second or third max-level contracts.

Was that true with CP3, Blake and DJ?

And Kawhi gave up a few million but he's still getting $50 million + a year.

Harden would presumably get over $35 million a year, if not over $40 million or more.

So it's not a HUGE sacrifice.

There was no thought of the Lob City Three taking less. Nor would anyone TAKE less to come play for Sterling or with CP and BG. It wasn't that kind of party.

[TrueLAfan]

Harden has made over $340 million in NBA salary. PG13 has made over $310 million. So, yeah, if they’re really happy, it’s time to ask for a hometown discount. A small one—but still. The difference between 3 years/$125 million and 3 years/$155 million doesn't look like much--but it is. If the contracts are structured like Kawhi's where they're front loaded and 2nd and 3rd years see drops or only small increases, we'll be in (much) better shape down the line.

[clipperlover]

Harden has made over $340 million in NBA salary. PG13 has made over $310 million. So, yeah, if they’re really happy, it’s time to ask for a hometown discount. A small one—but still. The difference between 3 years/$125 million and 3 years/$155 million doesn't look like much--but it is. If the contracts are structured like Kawhi's where they're front loaded and 2nd and 3rd years see drops or only small increases, we'll be in (much) better shape down the line.

Hopefully, Ballmer is able to get across to those guys the need to stay below the tax aprons. If PG and Harden want X amount of dollars and those dollars cause Ballmer's tax bill to go to Y, then that is money that he can't use to support his players. Our tax bill this year is somewhere around $128M. Apparently, a $30M increase resulting from the Harden trade.

A $30M+ savings in the tax bill could be money that he can re-invest into upgrading other things for the team that make things even better for the players. Why give that money to the NBA when he can use it on other items that benefit his players. For example, he could use any luxury tax money saved on Harden taking less to build a strip club right at Intuit Dome where James can go for free.

[Captain Ballmer]

A retirement contract. This tweet sums it up perfectly. He really don't care about building positive legacy in Clippers.

Read on Twitter

[wco81]

Harden has made over $340 million in NBA salary. PG13 has made over $310 million. So, yeah, if they’re really happy, it’s time to ask for a hometown discount. A small one—but still. The difference between 3 years/$125 million and 3 years/$155 million doesn't look like much--but it is. If the contracts are structured like Kawhi's where they're front loaded and 2nd and 3rd years see drops or only small increases, we'll be in (much) better shape down the line.

Ballmer pretty much has to extend both PG and Harden, because of the opening of the Intuit Dome in October, right?

But a couple of months ago, the Clippers were cited as potential dark horse to win the WC and now, they see, to be hitting a nadir as the season winds down.

So their individual performances in the postseason as well as how well the team does should determine the size and shape of these extensions?

They’re both having as good a season statistically as other seasons in their careers. PG will turn 34 in early May and Harden will be 35 towards the end of August.

Regardless of how they perform in the playoffs, the team needs them for the regular season including the inaugural season at the new stadium.

So it’s hard to see a big discount for either of them. Clippers can’t replace their production, period.

[clipperlover]

Harden has made over $340 million in NBA salary. PG13 has made over $310 million. So, yeah, if they’re really happy, it’s time to ask for a hometown discount. A small one—but still. The difference between 3 years/$125 million and 3 years/$155 million doesn't look like much--but it is. If the contracts are structured like Kawhi's where they're front loaded and 2nd and 3rd years see drops or only small increases, we'll be in (much) better shape down the line.

Ballmer pretty much has to extend both PG and Harden, because of the opening of the Intuit Dome in October, right?

But a couple of months ago, the Clippers were cited as potential dark horse to win the WC and now, they see, to be hitting a nadir as the season winds down.

So their individual performances in the postseason as well as how well the team does should determine the size and shape of these extensions?

They’re both having as good a season statistically as other seasons in their careers. PG will turn 34 in early May and Harden will be 35 towards the end of August.

Regardless of how they perform in the playoffs, the team needs them for the regular season including the inaugural season at the new stadium.

So it’s hard to see a big discount for either of them. Clippers can’t replace their production, period.

Nope. If these guys don't step up and help achieve a LONG and competitive playoff run, then they won't be getting extensions. Unless they are going to take their chances by walking away completely, they will need the Clips to facilitate a sign and trade. There will be teams thinking they are "on the cusp" that could make reasonable offers.

[MartinToVaught]

Nope. If these guys don't step up and help achieve a LONG and competitive playoff run, then they won't be getting extensions.

I'd like to believe that, but the history of the Clippers under Frank has been making shortsighted decisions from a position of desperation and pandering to so-called "stars." I see no reason to believe that has changed - otherwise we would have blown it up last summer and not traded for Harden.

[Scoundreldays]

Harden has made over $340 million in NBA salary. PG13 has made over $310 million. So, yeah, if they’re really happy, it’s time to ask for a hometown discount. A small one—but still. The difference between 3 years/$125 million and 3 years/$155 million doesn't look like much--but it is. If the contracts are structured like Kawhi's where they're front loaded and 2nd and 3rd years see drops or only small increases, we'll be in (much) better shape down the line.

Ballmer pretty much has to extend both PG and Harden, because of the opening of the Intuit Dome in October, right?

But a couple of months ago, the Clippers were cited as potential dark horse to win the WC and now, they see, to be hitting a nadir as the season winds down.

So their individual performances in the postseason as well as how well the team does should determine the size and shape of these extensions?

They’re both having as good a season statistically as other seasons in their careers. PG will turn 34 in early May and Harden will be 35 towards the end of August.

Regardless of how they perform in the playoffs, the team needs them for the regular season including the inaugural season at the new stadium.

So it’s hard to see a big discount for either of them. Clippers can’t replace their production, period.

Nope. If these guys don't step up and help achieve a LONG and competitive playoff run, then they won't be getting extensions. Unless they are going to take their chances by walking away completely, they will need the Clips to facilitate a sign and trade. There will be teams thinking they are "on the cusp" that could make reasonable offers.

I agree extending them if they choke in the playoffs would be a massive. It will only worsen as they age. Just admit the PG, SGA trade didn't go according to plan and move on.

[Ballings7]

A retirement contract. This tweet sums it up perfectly. He really don't care about building positive legacy in Clippers.

Read on Twitter

I think people continue to not understand Kawhi because of his personality individually; he's not a flashy or extroverted person, and never really will be. The guy is a winner whether people like the way he carries himself psychologically or not. He's not a common american athlete, and most people don't have the ability to identify with people they aren't used to or don't understand, and aren't like most athletes or people they've "seen" growing up and following a sport.

Too bad. Everyone is different.

I also disagree that scenario summarized in the tweet, is a legitimate example that the team doesn't have a winning culture or is irresponsible for something.

Tweet about the practice airball stuff, will mean nothing if they win or lose in the playoffs, and so will the scenario itself highlighted from clippers practice. The person tweeting is trying to latch onto something to justfiy their dissatisfaction with the team during a bad stretch.

Typical overreaction when you're deep in thought and passive frustration on social media and on the internet - y'all just wrapped up in it and are searching for anything to latch onto.

What will mean something is how the team may lose in terms of matchups, and what trends happened in the series where improvement is needed from LAC.

The playoffs are a different animal and I'm still confident the team has what it takes to go to the WCF, in the least with a decent chance to go to the Finals.