(Translator's note: The author of this article is the American NBA journalist Zach Harper, and the content in this article does not represent the views of the translator.) The data in this article is as of February 5, Beijing time. ）
Trading season is finally here! Let's get started!
With the Feb. 11 trading deadline approaching, the NBA's trading boom has officially begun. While everyone's eyes were on Ben Simmons and some of the other big names, the first dominoes were knocked down by the Clippers, and thanks to the Clippers and trail Blazers, it was you who kept everything going.
The Clippers and Trail Blazers announced today that the Clippers received Norman Powell and Robert Covington from Portland to send Bledsoe, Winslow, Keane Johnson (21-21 show) and a 2025 second-round pick (from the Pistons).
This is definitely a major operation for the Clippers, although their two All-Star players are still missing due to injury, but the team management is still seizing every opportunity to provide them with the right assistant, according to previous reports, George and Leonard are both promising to return this season, and the Clippers taking Powell seems to confirm the truth of this rumor. For the Blazers, the biggest gain addresses the pressure of the luxury tax, while also getting some young players.
Let's spread out the paper and pencil and give the deal a rating!
The Clippers got: Norman Powell, Robert Covington
Trade Rating: B+
The Clippers have been plagued by a lack of offensive power this season, and although they have completed many reversals, they have only barely won in many games, and it is difficult to gain an overwhelming advantage with offense as in the past. George suffered an elbow injury at the end of December last year and the Clippers are still waiting for him to return to the court. Leonard hasn't played this season yet, and despite optimism about his return in the playoffs, everything is still unknown. You never know how much an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament of the knee) injury will affect a player. But in the absence of two core players, the Clippers are still tenacious to maintain the record in the upper half of the West, and the hard work of the players and the excellent ability of coach Lu is the key to their current results.
But the competition in the West is always a no-go, and after many tough wins, the Clippers realized they needed to strengthen some offensive firepower, which is the purpose of their deal. Powell is a fantastic offensive player, and the Blazers invested almost all of their salary space in him before completing a contract extension with him last summer.
The Clippers have been rather poorly offensively efficient this season, only 26th in the league, with only Houston, Detroit, Orlando and Oklahoma worse than them. Considering that these teams are all rebuilding, it is obviously a bit embarrassing to compare them. With insufficient supply in the market, taking Powell is definitely the Clippers' best bet to improve their offense before waiting for the double star to return.
McCollum and Lillard have also suffered from injuries this season, with Powell being Portland's number one offensive option for quite some time, always being quite efficient, averaging nearly 19 points per game this season. And his biggest advantage is that he can play both with and without the ball, so the Clippers don't have to worry too much about his compatibility with George and Xiaoka. The most painful part of the deal is money, the Clippers are already the league's luxury tax holder, but the team owner Ballmer has always been very open to paying taxes, so this problem that seems difficult to climb the sky on other teams will not make the Clippers feel too much pressure. Powell's contracts for the next four seasons total about $75 million, and all contracts are fully guaranteed.
Covington's form has been in serious decline this season, but the Clippers still hope he can recover some of his strength in the team's mature system. Throughout his career, Covington has been a crazy outside shooter, with almost 80 percent of his shots outside the three-point line in recent seasons, and his defensive prowess has been proven. In Houston and Minnesota, Covington's addition gave both teams an immediate boost to their defenses.
Covington is known for his sharpness and resilience on the defensive end, and he is often able to use his imaginative strikes to complete steals or cause opponents to make pass mistakes. He is also a smart defender who knows how to use his strengths to help the team. But we didn't see him in Portland this year, and Covington's pace has slowed down, either because of age and injury, or because the Blazers' defense is so poor that even he can't save him.
Whatever exactly why Covington lost his magic on the defensive end, it's not a big problem for the Clippers, they don't really need Covington to improve the team's defense, this team is good enough defense, the Clippers are currently ranked sixth in the league in defensive efficiency, and this is done when George is absent from 28 games and Leonard is not playing. Covington's contract expires at the end of the season, so for the Clippers, he's just a plus in the deal, and it's certainly gratifying if Covington can get back in shape, and if not, it won't put the Clippers under long-term wage pressure.
The most crucial part of the deal is actually the information behind the book harvest, does Ballmer's heavy spending in the middle of the season mean that Leonard will return this season? Or is it just to qualify for the playoffs? But in any case, after putting aside the off-the-court judging factor of money expenditure, the Clippers' competitive harvest in this deal definitely deserves a high score.
Blazers get: Bledsoe, Winslow, Keane Johnson (No. 21, 21), 2025 second-round picks (from the Pistons)
Trade Rating: B-
The Blazers got Bledsoe, Winslow, Johnson and a second-round pick, which could be a sign that they're starting to look to the future, just in a slightly different way than other teams. Other teams always want to get some potential young players or high draft picks when they send stars to start rebuilding, but the Blazers don't need it because they already have Anfinney Simmons, and now Portland's main problem is to release the overly heavy salary pressure in the backcourt. Keeping Powell, the eight-figure-caliber guard, is not worth it, and if Lillard can't make a comeback this year, the Blazers' move is perfectly reasonable, and they need to give up some long-term contracts, find some potential players within the possible range, and give youngsters like Simmons and Little more opportunities.
Even if Lillard were to return this season, the Blazers' realistic goal would only be to make the playoffs, which obviously wouldn't satisfy Lillard and the city's ambitions. Or do they want to keep looking for opportunities to send McCollum away? But who can guarantee that new signings will have a perfect chemistry with Lillard immediately, everything in the trading market is changing rapidly, and it is difficult for us as bystanders to get a definite answer to all the questions.
So for the Blazers, after it's hard to get too many results this season, reducing expenses is definitely the most rational decision, and after the deal is completed, they have reduced their total salary below the luxury tax threshold. This is crucial for a team that has been a bit distracted lately and can't win too many games at all. Bledsoe may eventually be bought out by the team, and only $3.9 million is guaranteed on his $19 million contract next season. The Trail Blazers are going to lose some money next year, so they need to save some unnecessary luxury tax spending this year.
As for the other new players, Winslow is still in his seventh year of "what he would do if he could stay fit". I believe that the Blazers, like us, don't expect much from Winslow, but for a rotating player, a salary of more than $4 million next season is completely acceptable to Portland.
In this deal, Keane Johnson may be the biggest gain for the Blazers, who was considered one of the most athletically gifted players in the 21st Draft, he has a crazy ability to bounce, and in the Blazers' team that lacks athletic ability, Johnson may soon become the most dynamic player on the field. With the prospects for this season largely bleak, Johnson and Simmons may become the last watching sustenance for Portland fans. Johnson has barely been given playing time with the Clippers this season, but by Portland he is expected to get a rotational position.
Johnson will get a chance at Portland, and if he can learn how to score from beyond the three-point line, he will definitely be at least a pretty good role player and provide a major boost to this team in the future.
At the end of the day, the deal was basically a calculation of the tax burden for the Trailblazers, and of course they also got some hope for the future. But beyond the money, the Blazers' ambitions were still evident, and they could have exchanged Powell for at least one first-round pick, but they chose Johnson as a potential rookie. Both trading ideas have merit, but I personally prefer Portland's current decision.
Original: Zach Harper
Compilation: Best Fifteenth Man