<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">The Clippers are waiting on Chris Kaman, hoping the 7-foot center accepts their five-year, $50-million contract offer before the NBA's Oct. 31 deadline. If he rejects the offer, Kaman would become a restricted free agent this summer, and the Clippers could match any offer he received from another team. Kaman and his agent, Rob Pelinka, have declined to discuss how much they are seeking, but sources said the two sides would reach an agreement if the Clippers increased their proposal to $55 million over five years and included about $2.5 million in attainable performance bonuses. The current proposal includes bonuses, but they're considered difficult for Kaman to earn. The Clippers might have a little wiggle room but probably not enough to boost the guaranteed portion of the package another $5 million. Even with Kaman on the books at $10 million a season, the Clippers would soon approach the luxury-tax threshold if point guard Shaun Livingston accepted the multiyear extension the team plans to offer him before the 2007-08 season. With Kaman at $11 million, the Clippers might have to make a trade to avoid paying the tax. Of course, that's not Kaman's problem.</div> Source
