On February 5, Beijing time, the Blazers completed a deal with the Clippers, sending Covington and Powell away, but only in exchange for Brysoe, Winslow, Keane Johnson and a future second-round pick for 2025.
The deal can be said to be a mix of tragedies and joys, and Clippers fans have once again felt the super ability of West and the entire management, but what about the Blazers? Local Trail Blazers fans in the United States have already left messages on the team's official social media asking to be fired from the Blazers' general manager, Joe Cronin.
In fact, it is normal for Blazers fans to have this reaction, because the only value of this deal for the Blazers is that it will allow them to reduce their salaries to the luxury tax line this season, and next season, Bledsoe's contract is only guaranteed by $3 million, and it is likely to be bought out. In other words, the deal is about saving money. But for this reason, they sent away Powell, who averaged 18.7 points per game, and Covington, who spent 2 first rounds last season.
What is even more speechless is that the general manager of the Blazers just gave an interview on the official website of the NBA 1 day before the deal, and he made it clear that the team did not plan to rebuild, because there are many excellent players in the team, and also claimed to let Lillard accompany the team for many years, so he would not let Lillard come back early. But on the backhand, he made a deal that only rebuilding the team would make, and even many bad teams that were rebuilding badly, because they only got a second-round pick, not even a first-round pick.
Lillard has complained many times that the Blazers' lineup is not enough to compete for the championship, and as a result, whether it is Olsi, who was fired before, or Joe Cronin now, he does not strengthen him at all, but often engages in demolition transactions. Such management, such a team, after Lillard is injured, will he continue to hold a loyal heart and continue to stay? Maybe he should also think about his future.