As they wait for the impending decision of reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, the Los Angeles Clippers have decided to give some emphasis on the other areas of their squad. To be specific, the Clippers just fully guaranteed Lou Williams' contract for 2020-21:
In a rare gesture rewarding Lou Williams' play and leadership, the Los Angeles Clippers and Sixth Man of the Year have agreed to completely guarantee his $8M salary for 2020-21 a full season ahead, agent Wallace Prather told @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2019
Williams, 32, signed a three-year, $24 million extension with the Clippers back in 2018. In 2020-21, the final year of the deal, just $2 million was guaranteed out of $8 million.
However, with how well Williams has performed for the Clippers, the team's front office has decided to reward all his hard work and effort by already guaranteeing all $8 million in that final year:
Teams don't typically fully guarantee a season's salary this early. For Williams and the Clippers, it is a win. Williams now has his $2M partial for 2020-21 become fully guaranteed at $8M. He has made clear his happiness in L.A. and is coming off another strong season. https://t.co/6HNOHYG9Xu
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 2, 2019
Teams usually apply this partial guarantee clause on players' contracts as a way to protect the organization. In Williams' case, for instance, the Clippers were likely expecting a decline from the three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner by Year 3 of the deal, during which he would already be 34 years old. At that point, the Clippers could effectively waive Williams for the final year of the contract if they wanted to and not be on the hook for the full $8 million.
This is obviously not the case for Williams, who is looking as strong as ever. He has actually had the best spell of his career while with the Clippers, averaging 21.3 points (on 43.1 percent shooting), 1.9 3-pointers, 2.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 0.9 steals in two seasons in LA.
This was actually a no-brainer for the Clippers, and it's good that they've gotten this out of the way, as they can now focus on further reinforcing their team for the coming season.
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