NBA salary cap exercise: What player would every team amnesty?

LA Clippers – Rodney McGruder

For a team as deep as the LA Clippers every roster spot (and dollar) counts for much more than the salary cap implications. Steve Balmer has made it clear he will pay whatever it takes to field a title contender and the team is reaping the benefits on the court.

That will be put to the test during this offseason. Montrezl Harrell is entering a limited free agent market as possibly the best player available. As the favorite for the Sixth Man of the Year award Harrell has done a little bit of everything, averaging 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in only 27.8 minutes per game.

In an effort to make additional room to bring Harrell back Rodney McGruder is a fitting cap casualty. He is signed up for the next two seasons earning $5 million and $5.4 million respectively. They would not lose out on much in terms of production and could go a long way in making the new contract for Harrell feasible. He will likely be brought back at all costs, this just lightens that load.

This may become a tougher decision should the salary cap be significantly altered due to the pandemic and the $5 million in savings is not enough. Until that time comes though no one else on the Clippers who costs anything more than this is a negotiable cut.