Three days before the NBA’s trade deadline, the Clippers opened a roster spot and created more financial breathing room underneath the hard cap to fill it by trading little-used former first-round pick Mfiondu Kabengele to Sacramento, a person with knowledge of the deal confirmed.
The Clippers also sent cash and a future second-round pick in the deal to receive a second-round pick, but the intent of the trade, which was first reported by ESPN, was to clear the $2 million salary of Kabengele off their books.
The Clippers are now about $2.6 million clear of the hard cap, which cannot be exceeded, and have two open roster spots.