The Clippers carry a $193.7 million payroll, above the $165.0 million salary cap but under the $200.4 million luxury tax threshold, with room before the $209.0 million first apron and $221.7 million second apron. Darius Garland's $42.2 million and Brandon Ingram's $40.0 million anchor the books, while the franchise's own penalty for the Kawhi Leonard dealings has left its draft stock thin.
Payroll clears the cap but stays below the tax threshold.
At $193.7 million, the roster sits above the $165.0 million salary cap and below the $200.4 million luxury tax threshold, with the $209.0 million first apron and $221.7 million second apron still further off. Yuki Kawamura left the roster on October 14, clearing his $2.4 million salary this season, with Fletcher Loyer added the same day.
Garland and Ingram carry more than half the guaranteed money.
Darius Garland's $42.2 million and Brandon Ingram's $40.0 million lead the books, followed by Max Strus at $16.7 million, Rui Hachimura at $14.0 million and Derrick Jones Jr. at $10.5 million. Those five contracts form the bulk of the $193.7 million total.
Several deals convert to decisions, not certainties, in 2027-28.
Garland's number rises to $44.9 million next season, while Ingram holds a $41.9 million player option and Hachimura a $14.0 million team option. Brook Lopez's $9.2 million and Nicolas Batum's $5.9 million are team options for this season; Bradley Beal's $6.7 million player option arrives for 2027-28.
Draft capital is scarce after the league's penalty.
The Clippers hold swap rights on their 2027 and 2028 first-round picks and their 2030 second-rounder, forfeited their 2029 and 2030 first-round picks outright, and owe second-round picks to Utah in 2027 and San Antonio in 2029. That scarcity traces to the NBA's ruling on the Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration case, which stripped the club's first-round picks from 2029 through 2033, along with a $30 million fine and a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer.
Are the Clippers in the luxury tax this season?
No. The payroll sits at $193.7 million, above the $165.0 million salary cap but under the $200.4 million luxury tax threshold.
Why do the Clippers have so few future draft picks?
The NBA stripped their first-round picks from 2029 through 2033 as part of its ruling on the Kawhi Leonard-Aspiration case, leaving the club with swaps and picks owed to Utah and San Antonio instead of outright selections.
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By the numbers · Tue, Oct 13By the Numbers: Near the Tax Line, Light on Future Picks
Cap watch · Sun, Oct 11Cap Watch: A $193.7 Million Payroll With Room Before the Tax
Cap watch · Sun, Oct 4Cap Watch: Room Under the Tax, Not Much Left in the Draft Vault