This summer, the speedboats, whose core is to maintain the “original lineup”, finally ushered in the first change. Send Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu to the Grizzlies in exchange for Eric Bledsoe. When signing a formal NBA contract with BJ Boston, the 51st overall pick, the full list of players had already foreseen personnel changes. This transaction was expected, but the selection was somewhat unexpected.
Regardless of Bledsoe’s actual combat power, the Clippers first solved the list overload by 3 for 1 and then the key is the possibility of the second wave of transactions. Bledsoe includes a two-year contract next season, and the final year is only a partial guarantee of 4 million. For teams that want to save money, they can throw unnecessary contracts to the Clippers, thereby freeing up salary space, which means that the Clippers are focused. It’s Bledsoe’s mobile phone transfer meeting next year. on the other hand.
At the same time, the pellet group also received an extra 8.25 million transaction exception, which can be used for the second time in a buyout or related transaction. In addition, according to calculations by ESPN salary expert Bobby Marks, this transaction can also reduce nearly 30 million luxury taxes. , Is an added benefit, although Steve Ballmer, the richest boss in the league, should spend as much money as he wants for the good of the team.
No matter how Bledose has been complained by the Bucks in the past, or the negative equity that the Pelicans and Grizzlies don’t want to be resold, the player who has been selected to the All-Defensive Team twice and the average double-digit scoring ability is still a player with A defender with starting strength. Before giving any long-term commitments, the Clippers don’t need Bledsoe as a starting point to win the championship, nor do they expect to return to the 20 points per game in the previous Suns. Maybe they only need to be the sixth man on the bench and eat. Beverley had about 20 minutes of playing time. When the review standard was lowered, Bledsoe would not be so unusable. Instead, the speedboat was able to maintain a certain combat power while taking into account the flexibility of future operations.
Bledsoe has been known as a “small steel gun” in the Clippers since the beginning of his career. In the past 8 seasons, he has averaged more than 12 points per game. Even though the three-point shooting percentage in recent years has only fallen at 34%, Bledsoe’s cutting-edge destructive power has been brought. , On the contrary, it can improve the speedboat’s offensive mode of over-reliance on projection. As long as you can play well for 20 minutes, it won’t be a bad reinforcement. If you can have Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum’s rejuvenation performances, you will have earned it. Before the story happened, the trading possibilities brought by Bledsoe were probably more important than the combat power itself.
Clippers fans welcomed Bledsoe home, but they were again heartbroken by the deal. Ruthlessly sent away the spiritual leader Beverley in recent years. His strong defensive performance in the playoffs was the key to the Clippers’ second round and two victories in the Western Championship. After expressing his willingness to renew his contract, he was traded. It makes people feel a little distressed. What should be faced squarely is that Beverley has been in poor health in the past four years, and his regular season participation rate is less than 60%. When the Clippers’ championship time point was drawn to the 2022-23 season due to Kawhi Leonard’s injury, Beverley could only Become a victim in exchange for more trading possibilities.
The short-term impact may be greater than Rondo’s departure. Although he was frozen in the playoffs and had no room to play, his performance in the later stages of the regular games is obvious to all. In the playoffs, the Clippers have clear tactics and a large number of stars holding the ball, reducing the original demand for point guards. When the scene shifts to a routine game where every opponent is different, the experience and field control skills that Rondo brings are something that Bledsoe, Terance Mann, and others cannot make up for. Now we have to look forward to the newcomer Jason Preston. It’s a bit early.
Coupled with Bledsoe with some brain congestion, can Ty Lue’s offensive style that emphasizes conduction be incorporated? Can’t help but worry a little. After all, the Clippers will still have to make the playoffs next season. I am afraid that they will encounter some running-in and tactical turbulence on the offensive end. It will depend on the cooperation of the season for more than a year, including Paul George, Reggie Jackson, Nicolas Batum, etc. Veteran, can the team run smoothly?
As for Daniel Oturu, it is the talent cultivation that the Clippers failed again. The season was given very little time to play. Even if he was selected as a center for two years, he has not been well cultivated. The draft will again be empty.
Both Beverley and Rondo will become free agents in 2022. Regardless of whether they are renewed or not, they are no longer the long-term core of the team. The market situation of the two is obviously not good, especially the 14 million contract of the former, even if multiple teams compare their defensive capabilities. Under the balance of salary, it is not easy to come up with a transaction plan that makes the Clippers nod. It is a bit of a surprise to find the Grizzlies to take on Bledsoe. Rather than maintaining the status quo, it is another way that the speedboat can try to go.
In exchange for the younger Bledsoe is not so much an exchange of blood, but rather an extension of the observation period. The true value of this deal can be judged only by the positioning of the Clippers for Bledsoe in the next year and the way the contract will be dealt with next season. The worst case will be to directly lay off the space for absorbing 4 million. For speedboats with limited salary, if it is not possible to prove that Bledsoe is a usable soldier, or change hands to obtain other assets, it will inevitably make the speedboat pay a price in the future.
