League sources say the Clippers have been trying to find commercial exits for Marcus Morris Sr. and Norm Powell. They found neither of them before Wednesday midnight, and so felt compelled to concede Eric Gordon, because eliminating Gordon’s $21 million salary for the following season saved $110 million in luxury tax. You read correctly: $110 million. Clippers owner Steve Ballmer can afford that—more than any owner in the league—but the team-building restrictions on teams straying more than $17.5 million from the luxury tax limit are so onerous that even Team Ballmer must avoid the terrible. Second apron if applicable. The Clippers are still in that territory even after parting ways with Gordon, who appeared in just 27 games as a Clippers player (including the playoffs) after Los Angeles traded Luke Kennard and John Wall and traded picks in a three-team deal with Houston and Memphis to get him. -via marcstein.substack.com / June 29, 2023