The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league’s Western Conference. The Clippers play their home games at the Staples Center, an arena they share with fellow NBA team the Los Angeles Lakers, as well as the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Los Angeles Clippers Team Salary
| Players | Age | Avg. Salary |
| Paul George | 29 | 34,227,984 |
| Kawhi Leonard | 28 | 34,379,100 |
| Maurice Harkless | 26 | 10,500,000 |
| Patrick Beverley | 31 | 13,333,327 |
| Louis Williams | 33 | 8,000,000 |
| Ivica Zubac | 22 | 7,000,000 |
| Rodney McGruder | 28 | 5,000,000 |
| Montrezl Harrell | 25 | 6,000,000 |
| Jerome Robinson | 22 | 3,450,480 |
| JaMychal Green | 29 | 4,886,175 |
| Landry Shamet | 22 | 1,929,600 |
| Terance Mann | 23 | 1,433,534 |
| Mfiondu Kabengele | 22 | 2,026,440 |
| Patrick Patterson | 30 | 2,331,593 |
| Derrick Walton Jr. | 24 | 1,445,697 |
| Johnathan Motley | 24 | – |
| Amir Coffey | 22 | – |
The franchise was founded in 1970 as the Buffalo Braves, and were one of three expansion teams to join the NBA that year, along with the Cleveland Cavaliers and Portland Trail Blazers. The Braves saw some success and reached the playoffs three times, led by league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Bob McAdoo. Conflicts with the Canisius Golden Griffins over the Buffalo Memorial Auditorium and the sale of the franchise led to their relocating from Buffalo, New York, to San Diego, California.
In December 2011, the Clippers signed Caron Butler to a $24 million deal and claimed veteran point guard Chauncey Billups three days later. On December 14, they traded Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu and Minnesota’s 2012 first-round pick acquired in 2005 for New Orleans Hornets’ four-time all-star Chris Paul. In March 2012, Nick Young joined the Clippers as part of a three-team trade with the Washington Wizards and the Denver Nuggets. He became the eighth player to debut in the 2011–2012 season.
On January 9, 2013, with a 99–93 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, the Clippers recorded another franchise record with their 13th straight home victory. On July 3, 2013, the Clippers traded Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler to the Phoenix Suns for Jared Dudley and JJ Redick (from the Milwaukee Bucks). The Clippers and Suns also sent a second-round pick each to the Bucks. On July 7, the team re-signed Barnes, Paul, and Ryan Hollins. Paul’s deal was for 5 years, worth around $105.3 million. The team also signed Darren Collison to fill the back-up point guard role, replacing Bledsoe and free agent Chauncey Billups, who signed with the Detroit Pistons.
In the 2018 NBA draft, the team was awarded the 12th and 13th overall picks, and selected Miles Bridges and Jerome Robinson, respectively. Despite the departure of Griffin and Jordan for the 2018–19 season, the Clippers clinched a playoff berth and finished the regular season with a 48–34 record. During the 2019 NBA Finals, Kawhi Leonard helped lead the Toronto Raptors to their first NBA championship and earned the Finals Most Valuable Player Award. Then he opted out of his final year on his contract with the Raptors’ to become one of the top free agents during the 2019 offseason. Leonard chose to sign with the Clippers when the team agreed to trade for the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Paul George. For George, the Clippers traded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, four unprotected first-round picks, a protected first-round pick, and two pick swaps.
