Transaction Content:
The Clippers get Powell, Covington;
The Blazers received Bledsoe, Winslow, Keane Johnson and one future second-round pick.
This wave of operation, the Clippers killed crazy. With a rotation that doesn't work very well, a lottery ticket that can't be scraped out, a first-round show with average picks and little chance to play, with a second round, you can get two starting-level players, and are likely to be enthusiastically pursued in the market. I kind of can't figure out how the Clippers plucked up the courage to plan this deal, even if it is sitting at home with a whimsical obscenity, it will feel that this kind of transaction is a mouthful, and the probability will be hung up, but the Clippers really took the scraps to make a key puzzle transaction, and they didn't accept it.
What Powell and Covington mean, I'm afraid I won't need to go into too much detail, and you will all know:
Powell, number Kobe Bryant, standard third scorer positioning. The advantage is that it has both three points and vitality, and can switch between the balls in the position attack, or the master of fast attack chaos. The disadvantage is that as the number two main attackers, the lack of color, in the Blazers such a two-gun team, playing a highly paid third guard, the defensive end is very awkward. But putting it in the Clippers is a completely different concept, the Clippers are both forwards, there are a bunch of guards but no comprehensive quality of the second position, Powell put in which to stand out, the starting or closing five small lineups are applicable;
Due to the high quality of the contract and the ease of trading, Covington is an old face in the market in recent years, and he is also a team with a keen demand for improving his performance. Although the single defense ability has declined over the years, and the three points are not stable enough, but relying on the super defensive ability, it can still contribute a good game impact, especially in a team with a full lineup of multiple fronts like the Clippers, Covington almost accurately positioned the role of the sweeper he is good at, neither need to defend a large block (with Batum, Morris, Kawaii), nor do you need to chase the flexible backcourt and flank (with George), avoid the weaknesses while making full use of the strengths. As the weakest space point of the team, it is also relatively better than in the team that must have a center.
Since Covington + Powell's salary is 3.9 million higher than the salary of Blood Cloth + Winslow + Keane Johnson, the Clippers, who are already above the luxury tax line, will spend a lot more, and Powell's long term will increase the Clippers' salary pressure for many years to come. But given Ballmer's ability to make money, I didn't even bother to calculate the impact of these hammers on the Clippers' finances, only to see what the list would make:
Backcourt: Reggie, Powell, Kennard, Kofi, Mann, Boston, (Preston)
Forwards: Leonard, George, Batum, Covington, Morris
Centre-forwards: Zubac, Hatten, Ibaka
Since it is a 3-for-2 deal, the Clippers just freed up a place to provide a formal contract for kofi, who is doing well, so that even if there is no follow-up operation, the Clippers' 15-man roster is already fierce enough, even if Cauldron does not return this season, a team that can take out Reggie, Powell, Batum, Morris, Zubac, Covington, Kennard, Kofi, Mann, Hatten, Ibaka 12-man rotation, will also take the lead in the playoff competition, with Lu's military tricks, the playoffs make the big guy sweat, This achievement is not difficult to achieve.
When The pepper returns, the Depth of the Clippers' lineup will be thick to Grandma's house, the Ultimate Five has a variety of postures, the richness of the gameplay is not inferior to that of the Warriors, and how to choose the last 3 puzzles will make Lu Sleepless. When you have 100 ways to be happy, you certainly won't mind trying each. The Clippers can even put up a five-forward lineup, Leonard, Covington, Batum, George four major defensive high-level blockade of the Forbidden City, a fly can not think of flying out. Or put Leonard, George, Powell, Morris and Reggie in a singles at the same time to ensure stability.
Judging from the current news, Ca pepper's comeback this season does not look like a real thing that will happen, and this deal does not prove that the two are about to return, because this is not a short-term operation. Both Powell and Covington can put in long-term planning. Powell needless to say, his contract is not until 26 years, although Covington is an expired contract, but the Clippers got his bird rights, summer can be renewed, can also be signed first and then changed.
The Clippers' operation may not be over yet, and due to the overflow of flank and front resources, another point guard can also come up with chips. The Clippers don't have to worry, you can wait patiently for the opportunity, Beverley + Rondo to change the blood cloth, the blood cloth to change Powell + Covington, this kind of god operation can be played, what operation happens to this team in the next year, don't be too surprised.
The Blazers sent Powell + Covington away for good reasons, one is a long contract that overlaps with the positions of the core players, and the other is an expired contract, which is not in the team plan. While the Blazers are only a bit above the luxury tax line, and paul Allen's assets are supposed to make the Trail Blazers as strong as the clippers, it is still necessary to keep the team below the luxury tax line in a hopeless season.
But if a team sends two firsts away in exchange for either an expiring contract (with little salary protection for the next year) or an inexperienced rookie, it's hard not to think of rebuilding.
With Simmons Jr. playing well this season, particularly showing his potential to play in The No. 1 position, greatly increasing the appeal of rebuilding around him — though I think we should look at his prospects with caution — the Blazers may give him a big contract extension during the offseason, and sending Powell's contract to make way for him. But this operation means that the Blazers continue to maintain the embarrassing situation that the three guards take most of their salaries, and the team's ceiling is still worrying.
So, the Blazers' trades are most likely not over, maybe no one is safe, and even the direction becomes blurred, because they seem to be able to choose whatever they want. The Blazers probably don't want to play the playoffs anymore. Thanks to the lottery protection for the Bulls in the 22-year first round, they have only won 5 more games than the Thunder, and now it is too late to accumulate talent when they start losing wildly.
But messing up doesn't mean restarting, and accumulating talent can also be a retreat. Lillard grinds and chirps without a letter, the Blazers want to return the word, sending away the main force to reduce the current combat strength is not in conflict with The current situation of Lillard's season reimbursement, and you can't figure out what the attitude of the two sides is now. Since the current squad, in addition to the two guns and Nance are expired contracts, whether it is to clear the space, reinforce from the free market in the summer, or send away one of the double guns, or the core rotation matching trade, these practices are feasible.
However, judging by the difficulty of Portland's access to resources from the market, and the scarcity of resources that the Blazers currently need (front and flank), the final result is likely to be completely rebuilt.
Blood Cloth, Winslow and the second round are not very valuable, and the price of the Powell + Covington trade is not difficult to exchange for the return of the first round. The Blazers' most valuable resource in the deal is Keane Johnson, who got the 21st pick in the first round of 2021 and didn't get much of a chance at the Clippers, and generally speaking, an unfulfilled first-round pick isn't worth a first-round pick. Keane's ability to play out is crucial for the Blazers, so it should be used as a key training object.
So a strange situation arose – another defender who needed time to eat. If so, let's turn back to last season's deadline, and look at the recent frequent outbreaks of Little Trent, the Blazers want to form a new double gun, is It safer to have Simmons Jr. + Trent Jr.?
Simmons Jr. + Keane Johnson, if these two people don't make a name for themselves, I'm really sorry for the management's tossing.
Trade Rating: Clippers A+, Trailblazer C