At the beginning of the new year, the NBA seems to be worse than anyone else. The Lakers relied on James' comeback, Munch's outburst and the overtime game to make a narrow victory over the Knicks today, otherwise the record would continue to fall.
The Nets Harden also recently could not play due to a hamstring injury, and Irving alone led the team to bring out a wave of 7 consecutive losses, ranking from the former first place in the East to the playoff area.
Watching the Lakers Nets worse and worse, the Blazers couldn't sit still. They should have been one of the worst teams this season, but the new manager was still a mess defensively, and Lillard trade rumors kept coming close to season reimbursement.
The Blazers thought about how to look worse, so they made a deal with the Clippers. Yesterday's deal was made, with the Clippers sending Bledsoe, Winslow, Keane Johnson, 2025 second-round picks, and Powell and Covington from the Trail Blazers.
As soon as the news came out, the fans were in an uproar, and the Clippers made a completely robbery deal. The Blazers' goal is simple: after Simmons rises, they want to dump Powell's 5-year, 90 million contract, and after sending Powell and Covington away, they don't have to pay luxury taxes this season.
Although Bledsoe's annual salary next season is as high as $19.375 million, only $3.9 million of it is guaranteed. So the Blazers could have given up Bledsoe next season and continued to save money.
But the problem is, they seem to be in a bit of a hurry, and it seems that they have simply dumped Powell's contract as if it were a garbage contract. Powell averaged 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game this season, shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range.
Powell's three-point shooting percentage of around 41 percent over the past two seasons is a very good outside scoring point. The Clippers have Powell on the offensive end, his three-pointer is more stable than Mann, and he has a better offense than Kenard.
And the Clippers also got the league's long-established defensive 3D Covington, although Covington's defensive level has declined rapidly in the past two years, but the defense is still good, and the Clippers can completely put up a five-forward lineup after getting him.
The Clippers are making a lot of money, but the Blazers are getting limited returns. The roles of Bledsoe and Winslow are negligible, and only the Clippers' first-round pick this season, Keane Johnson, can pay attention to, a man of physical fitness, who can run and jump but has few chances in the Clippers.
The point is that Covington was originally exchanged for two first rounds, and now it is equivalent to changing the air.
It can be said that the Clippers used a rookie at the end of the first round of this year and a second round, and changed from the Blazers to Powell and Covington. That added $19 million in taxes to them, but it was all a small thing for Ballmer.
Even if The Little Card doesn't play this season, the Clippers' roster next season is still quite terrifying. As long as they stay healthy, they are still strong contenders for the championship.
And the Blazers seem to have given up on treatment, this lineup, Lillard does not want to go is a ghost.