The qualifying offer is due by June 30th. It’s $5.8M, and in the collective bargaining agreement it is required to make Shaun a restricted free agent. In the absence of the QO, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team he likes.

There’s no way Shaun Livingston is making $5.8M next season. It’s possible that he could choose to sign elsewhere, but it’s also unlikely that any other team would be willing to pay him more than the Clippers would be. The Clippers still have a vested interest in seeing him become a productive NBA player – and they desperately need a point guard. Meanwhile, it would seem that loyalty would count for something. It’s difficult to imagine him playing for any other team next season.

Still, it’s going to be next to impossible to determine a fair price for the guy. Maybe a higher starting salary for the first season, with a couple of team options for the subsequent ones. Maybe a lower starting salary, with a couple of player options. The worst case is a one year deal, he comes back and plays well, and then signs a big contract with another team next summer. Point guards are in ridiculously short supply – we’re talking about offering the MLE to Beno Udrih for FSM’s sake.