On February 5, Beijing time, the Blazers officially announced that the team sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to get Bledsoe, Winslow, Keane Johnson and the 2025 second-round draft picks (from the Pistons) from the Clippers. The 2-for-4 deal, on the surface, the Blazers get more chips, but in fact, the Clippers are the biggest winners in this deal.
Take a look at the contracts of these guys first, and you'll see why the Trailblazers are trading. Powell, 28, whose current contract is $90 million for five years, expires in the summer of 2026 with a salary of $15.52 million this season; Covington, 31, whose contract is $47 million for four years, expires this summer and is making $12.42 million this season.
Winslow is 26 years old and his contract is $8 million for 2 years, which expires in the summer of 2023 and is $3.9 million this season; Bledsoe, 32, whose contract is $70 million for 4 years, expires in the summer of 2023 and is $16.88 million this season; Keane Johnson, who is not yet 20 years old, has a rookie contract of $12.51 million for 4 years and $2.55 million this season.
Both the 2023-24 season and the 2024-25 season, Keane Johnson's contract is a team option, and if he doesn't play well, the Blazers can give up execution. In the summer of 2023, the Blazers will be able to clean up the three players they get from the trade. After completing the deal, the Trail Blazers' payroll fell below the luxury tax line and didn't have to pay taxes this season.
In addition, the Trailblazers were given a $6.5 million deal exception for a period of one year. The deal exception itself doesn't take up salary space and doesn't have to pay a luxury tax, and if you use this to sign players, it counts towards the team's total salary. With the Blazers' current stance, they shouldn't be using this trading exception.
In an interview, Trail Blazers general manager Joe Cronin said: "The deal is to maintain salary flexibility and clean up our payroll. Norman Powell is a good player and we will miss him. Powell is averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1 steal this season, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from three-point range.
Powell is only 28 years old, and he is in the middle of the fight, and he can definitely become a reliable helper for Xiao Ka and George! Judging from the Clippers' current lineup, they do not have the strength to win the championship, but Powell's joining has given them the confidence to compete for the championship. After getting Covington and Powell, the Clippers have to pay an extra $19 million in luxury taxes this season.
Covington has averaged 7.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season, shooting 38.6 percent from the field, 35.1 percent from three-point range and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. Although his offensive ability is average, Covington is willing to defend, do dirty work and work on the court. Leonard + George + Covington + Morris + Batum, this is the Clippers' forward line!
Bledsoe is averaging 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.3 steals this season and is shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three-point range. With a 70 million contract, it is too luxurious to substitute Lillard and CJ! The Blazers' continued actions in this way would only increase the likelihood of Lillard leaving the team. Netizens joked: The future of the pioneer can be expected (cheating).
Winslow is averaging 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game this season, shooting 44.7 percent from the field and just 17.2 percent from three-point range. Fortunately, his annual salary is only $3.9 million, and the Blazers will not have too high expectations. Keane Johnson is unknown, he is the 2021 first-round No. 21 pick, this season averages 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists.
According to draft expert Sam Vecenie, in this deal, the Blazers valued Keane Johnson's potential very much, and the team believed that this guy could play. One last question: What do you think of the Trail Blazers deal?