ANOTHER SMART, LOGICAL MOVE

Although they officially have until Oct. 31 to decide, the Clippers already have decided not to pick up the option on Yaroslav Korolev for next season. They have not given up on Korolev and plan on re-signing him at a rate lower than what the 12th overall pick is earmarked to make as a third-year player.

This is a smart, cost-cutting move. For his production, Korolev has been overpaid the past two seasons and should accept the paycut because the franchise, especially Mike Dunleavy, is on his side. Another way to think of it is that it would be bizarre if they picked up his option because they should be in no risk of losing him…

I talked to Chris Kaman last night, and his five-year, $50 million deal is still on the table. His agent is trying to iimprove the deal, but there is no guarantee that the Clippers will budge from that.

At first, I thought the offer was lower than Kaman’s market value, and maybe it is, considering Tyson Chandler and Samuel Dalembert’s similar deals. However, I believe only five teams will be under the cap next summer and in position to offer him more than that. Is it worth taking a risk that one of those teams will step up and offer him more? That’s a big business decision, but I do know that Kaman would love to stay with the Clippers…