Clippers aim to get further under the cap by shipping out Avery Bradley

The Los Angeles Clippers have gotten further under the salary cap by trading Avery Bradley to the Grizzlies for Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green.

The Los Angeles Clippers have shipped out Avery Bradley to get further under the salary cap. Bradley will be heading to the rebuilding Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Garrett Temple and JaMychal Green, letting the NBA know that they are dead serious about being players in this summer’s free agency sweepstakes.

It makes a lot of sense for the Clippers to embark on a quest to get a much under the cap as possible. With Tobias Harris gone, the Clippers are not going to be in contention for a playoff spot this season, and their main intention is to try to get Kawhi Leonard to Los Angeles this summer.

So, now it’s time to clear out the contracts, and Bradley was the latest casualty.

According to Sportac, Bradley still has a year left on his two-year deal that will pay him $12.9 million in 2019-20. It’s only partially guaranteed but every little bit helps. The Clippers, who are on a cap-cutting binge, was not interested in keeping that contract around, and the figured it would be best to send Bradley out-of-town for the expiring Temple and Green.

Temple and Green don’t figure too much into the Clippers long-term plans. They’re only in L.A. to fill out the season, and then, those two will be gone. Bradley still has some value as a two-way player. Whether or not his future is in Memphis is the real question here.

Don’t be surprised if Bradley’s agent tries to push Memphis into buying him out so that Bradley can join a contender. But this is a nice trade for both Memphis and the Clippers. Both teams are blowing it up, with the former in full rebuilding mode, and the latter trying to land an All-Star caliber player this summer.