The Warriors drew complaints for their big spending last season.
The Clippers project to be even further above the luxury-tax line next year than Golden State was this year.
Though that won’t cost the Clippers as much – they, unlike the Warriors, aren’t paying the repeater rate – L.A. is facing a $144 luxury-tax liability after re-signing Nicolas Batum and Amir Coffey.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:
Amir Coffey has agreed to a three-year, $11M deal with the Clippers, his agents Bill Duffy and Marlon Harrison of @BDA_Sports and WME Sports tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 30, 2022
The luxury tax isn’t assessed until the final day of the regular season. So, L.A. plenty of time to trim payroll. But Clippers owner Steve Ballmer has greenlit big spending.
That’s why the Clippers have such great depth.
Batum is an extremely helpful frontcourt player – a versatile defender and skilled offensive player. He complements stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George so well.
The Clippers could pay Batum up to $22,554,168 over two years with the Early Bird Exception. Maybe he took slightly less, or maybe his salary got rounded down in reporting.
Originally signed to a two-way contract as an undrafted player in 2019, Coffey has developed into a solid depth piece on the wing. He might not play much if Leonard and George are healthy. L.A. still has Marcus Morris, Terance Mann, Luke Kennard and Batum and could have a full season of Norman Powell and Robert Covington after trading for those two last February. But Coffey is a luxury the Clippers can afford.
They probably would’ve paid to re-sign Isaiah Hartenstein, too, if they could’ve. But they were limited to 120% of the minimum salary after using the taxpayer mid-level exception on John Wall. Besides, Hartenstein got more than the taxpayer MLE from the Knicks, anyway.
Shams Charania of The Athletic:
Free agent center Isaiah Hartenstein has agreed to a two-year, $16 million-plus deal with the New York Knicks, sources tell @TheAthletic @Stadium. Fully guaranteed deal for Hartenstein.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 30, 2022
Hartenstein, 24, had a breakout season with the Clippers. He protects the paint, keeps the ball moving and finishes efficiently.
He slides into New York’s center rotation with Mitchell Robinson an unrestricted free agent and Nerlens Noel traded to the Pistons.
