How it works financially
There are two scenarios at play, both in which Durant holds all the power.
First, he can decide his time in Oklahoma City is over this summer.
Durant’s contract expires as of July 1 and he can make it known he will not be returning to the Thunder. Since the Clippers do not have anywhere near enough cap space to sign him outright, their best option would be via sign-and-trade.
Certainly, Rivers could try to build a package around someone other than Griffin, but if they really want Durant the price will be Griffin. According to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express, the salary cap is expected to be set around the $89 million range.
New salary cap projections sent out to NBA teams: 2015-16: 67.1 million, tax 81.6, 2016-17: 89 million, tax 108. 2017-18: 108, 127 tax
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 17, 2015
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Should that happen, Durant would be eligible for a contract starting at $24.92 million. Let’s also keep in mind that an $89 million cap figure is relatively modest. That number could easily exceed $92 million, making Durant’s first year salary even higher. Either way, I am going to use a round figure of a $25 million starting salary.
Next, the Clippers would add Griffin’s 2016-17 salary of $20.14 million. CBA rules stipulate that trade must be within 125% plus $100,000 in order to be legal. Basically, if the cap is set under $90 million the two teams can execute a one-for-one deal.
However, if the cap is set at $90 million or more, the Clippers would need to aggregate more salary in order to make the deal legal. In that case, someone like C.J. Wilcox would likely be added to complete the deal.
The second scenario seems more plausible, but also requires consent from Griffin to be traded back home to Oklahoma City (which could hold up the deal).
Next: What's in it for Durant?