Kaman signs a $52-million extension

Clippers center Chris Kaman accepted a five-year, $52-million contract extension, the team said Saturday, indicating a new deal for Coach Mike Dunleavy also could be in place soon.

Andy Roeser, executive vice president, and Dunleavy agreed to put the coach’s contract negotiations on hold, team sources said, while the Clippers tried to reach a long-term agreement with Kaman. That was accomplished Friday night, when Kaman signed a contract that includes performance bonuses and a clause that could make it difficult to trade the former first-round pick.

The Clippers have scheduled an afternoon news conference today at Spectrum Club in El Segundo.

“Obviously, this was something that the organization wanted to get done, we were just hoping to do it within the salary-cap parameters we needed to move forward and hopefully compete for a championship in the future,” Dunleavy said.

“Chris is a key player for us and a big part of our future, so I’m really happy about this.”

On the instructions of owner Donald T. Sterling, Roeser now shifts his attention back to Dunleavy, who played a key role in persuading Kaman to re-sign and has significant input in player-personnel decisions. The team is determined to retain Dunleavy, a high-ranking Clippers executive said.

“Now that we’ve got Chris done. ... I’m open to talking with the club,” Dunleavy said. “Hopefully, we can start moving forward, but there’s no pressure on the situation. We’ll just see what happens.”

Roeser and Kaman’s agent, Rob Pelinka, finalized Kaman’s new contract at halftime of the Clippers’ final exhibition game -- a 112-86 loss to the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center -- after the Clippers agreed to bonuses that could make the contract worth as much as $55 million.

The Clippers also agreed to Pelinka’s request for a “trade kicker,” team sources said.

If traded, Kaman would receive a percentage of the remaining guaranteed portion of his contract. Players with such clauses in their contracts could essentially receive as much as a 15% bonus.

Pelinka requested the language be included in Kaman’s contract because of Kaman’s relationship with Dunleavy and assistant Kim Hughes.

The team’s 2003 first-round draft pick, sixth overall, has increased his averages each season under Dunleavy. Kaman has expressed his desire to play for the Clippers as long as Dunleavy remained with the organization.

As the thinking goes, teams might be more reluctant to trade for Kaman because of the extra money he would be owed.

The Clippers waited until All-Star power forward Elton Brand and swingman Corey Maggette signed offer sheets with other teams before matching, but Dunleavy and General Manager Elgin Baylor prodded Sterling and Roeser to take an aggressive approach in securing Kaman to a long-term deal.

Last season, Kaman, 24, had personal-best averages of 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds and 1.38 blocked shots. In 32.8 minutes, he shot 52.3% from the field and 77% from the free-throw line.

“Chris has made great strides over his first few seasons in this league, and he’s only going to get better,” Dunleavy said. “He’s so skilled and he’s such a hard worker, I don’t think we’ll know for a few years just how good Chris is going to be. I’m just happy he’s going to be here.”

jason.reid@latimes.com