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Can the LA Clippers manage to fend off most of the squad from last season after securing the commitment of two-time Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard to re-sign?
Before Leonard fell with a partial ACL tear at the end of the Clippers’ Game 4 against the Utah Jazz, they appeared to be strong contenders to win the Western Conference after rallying to a 2-0 deficit in the first. round against the Dallas Mavericks and come back to tie the Utah Jazz 2-2 in a series they would win without their star.
After undergoing surgery to repair his ACL, Leonard will almost certainly miss at least part of the 2021-22 season and may not return at all. Can the Clippers claim a championship if Leonard returns for the playoffs? We will take a look.
Kawhi’s contract
While there was never any doubt that Leonard would stay with the Clippers, how he structured his new contract remains an interesting question. Leonard decided to turn down a $ 36 million player option and the option to extend his contract, which would have guaranteed him the maximum number of years.
By stepping down, Leonard was able to increase his 2021-2022 salary to $ 39.3 million as he now has over 10 years of experience and is eligible for a maximum of 35% of the cap. Still, he still has a handful of choices to decide between, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
Because Leonard only played two years for the Clippers, he is not eligible to sign a full five-year contract. Instead, he could sign a two-year contract with a player option that will see him become an unrestricted free agent next summer, when he can sign for five years. Alternatively, Leonard could sign again for four years, the biggest deal possible this summer.
For the Clippers, the option Leonard chooses is surely not as important as making sure he’s happy with the organization and his deal. Either way, the Clippers were going to pay the luxury tax this season in the name of key free agent retention.
Mowers return the core
Despite All-Star Paul George’s contract extension last fall, Leonard wasn’t the Clippers’ only key free agent this summer. Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum, who finished second and fourth on the team in minutes in the playoffs, also became unrestricted free agents.
The Clippers’ options to retain both players were somewhat limited as both were previously on minimum wage contracts. Still, they’ve found a way to get Batum back on a two-year contract with a player option for the second season using non-Bird rights, which allows the Clippers to pay him 120% of minimum wage for a player with His experience. If Batum declines his option to play next summer, he can become a free agent again with the Clippers and then have the early bird rights to pay him more money.
Jackson was in the position of the Clippers with Early Bird rights after signing with the team at the end of the 2019-20 season. This limited them to a maximum salary of $ 10.4 million in the first year, so it was possible that another aggressive bidder might have offered more money after Jackson’s outstanding playoffs. Instead, Jackson on Friday agreed to a two-year deal at that Early Bird maximum salary.
The use of non-bird rights on Batum means the Clippers still have their mid-level exception for taxpayers to add to the list. Since there aren’t many quality free agents left in the market, the Clippers could choose to keep their mid-level squads to outbid for any players entering the mid-season buyout market. This would allow them to offer more than the Brooklyn Nets and their rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, both of whom have already used their intermediate tax.
Project the Clippers 2021-22
Assuming Jackson returns, next season’s Clippers should look a lot like last season’s squad. The other nine players who saw over 60 minutes of playoff action are now listed for 2021-22. The Clippers will also get center Serge Ibaka back, who reclaimed his $ 9.7 million player option after being limited to 22 minutes in the playoffs due to injury.
With the emergence of third-year winger Terance Mann, the return of Batum and the addition of Justise Winslow, the Clippers should have enough depth up front to handle a prolonged absence from Kawhi. The Clippers are unlikely to be in the mix for home advantage in the first round of the playoffs without him, but it is plausible that they could finish in the top six and avoid having to work through the tournament. play-in – especially if Leonard’s schedule is shorter than usual for an ACL tear and he’s able to come back near the All-Star break.
Age is a bit of a concern for the Clippers. At 30, Kawhi is one of the youngest members of the squad’s rotation, so it’s crucial that Mann (25 in October) and Luke Kennard (25) continue to develop as capable spinners. Adding 25-year-old Winslow is a low-risk move that could also pay dividends. Any contribution the Clippers get from 19-year-old first-round pick Keon Johnson or their second-round picks (Jason Preston and Brandon Boston Jr., the latter also 19) would be a huge bonus.
Ultimately, the prospects for the Clippers depend entirely on Leonard’s health. We’ve seen how dangerous the Clippers can be without him in a playoff setting where coach Tyronn Lue can tailor his game plan, use small lineups and extend the minutes for George and the other starters. However, the Clippers ran out of gas against the Phoenix Suns without their star. If the Clippers are going to fight for the 2022 Championship, they need Kawhi back and almost 100% for the playoffs. Of course, that forced him to sign again, and the Clippers ticked that box.
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