Los Angeles Clippers Receive: F DeMar DeRozan (sign-and-trade)
San Antonio Spurs Receive: C Ivica Zubac, G Luke Kennard
DeMar DeRozan just finished up the final year of his $139M contract and is set to be one of the most talked about free agents this summer. Not many teams have salary space to sign a player like DeRozan outright, the Clippers included, but they could be willing to pay a lot of taxes in order to trade for him.
With the Spurs owning his “bird rights,” San Antonio could offer DeRozan a max-contract for more than any other team could, which is likely what he would want in a sign-and-trade with Los Angeles.
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If DeRozan is to make $25M+ per season on his next contract and if he was to be traded to the Clippers, then Los Angeles would definitely be paying a lot of taxes on their team, especially with them having to restructure Kawhi Leonard’s contract in the offseason.
It is possible, but guys like Marcus Morris Sr., Patrick Beverley, Luke Kennard and Ivica Zubac would likely have to be one the move to free up some money. In this deal, both Kennard and Zubac would be heading to San Antonio.
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Luke Kennard signed a four-year, $56M extension with the Clippers earlier in the year, which was very surprising to many, and Ivica Zubac is under-contract through the 2022-23 season, making both guys intriguing options for the Spurs to add to their roster.
Both Kennard and Zubac’s contracts combined equate to over $20M for next season, which is why a third team would likely have to be involved in this deal so the Clippers could dump a little bit more salary in order to absorb DeMar DeRozan and his new contract.
This is definitely something that is possible if Steve Ballmer and the Clippers organization are willing to open up their checkbooks fully, but is this something that truly makes sense for both the Clippers and the Spurs?
