Free Agency Rumors: Clippers to Meet With Gallinari, Simmons, Ingles Over Weekend

According to Brad Turner of the L.A. Times, the Clippers have scheduled meetings with three of their free agency targets: Danilo Gallinari, Jonathon Simmons, and Joe Ingles.

As presently constructed, the Clippers can only offer the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, worth a maximum of $36 million over 4 years. That likely isn’t enough for Gallinari, who opted out of a $16 million player option to enter free agency, and is reportedly seeking a payday as high as $100 million over 4 years. Simmons and Ingles, who are more likely to accept a deal in that range, are both restricted free agents. That means that their previous teams—the San Antonio Spurs and Utah Jazz—can both exceed the salary cap to match any offer the Clippers extend, and the players would be forced to return to their original team. In both cases, the Clippers’ mid-level offers would be matched and they would miss out on signing the player.

The only way for the Clippers to offer a bigger contract than the mid-level exception would be to dump salary in order to create cap room. Right now, they’re projected to be $7 million over the salary cap line, so they’d need to cut that plus whatever amount they wish to offer a free agent.

The Clippers are also reported to have interest in wings Andre Iguodala, Rudy Gay, P.J. Tucker, and James Johnson, though no meetings have been reported. Iguodala and Gay have both received substantial interest around the league, while Tucker and Johnson seem likely to re-sign with the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat, respectively.