Clippers And Trail Blazers Strike Big Deal

We have a trade to announce, and it's a big one. The Los Angeles Clippers are sending Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a 2025 second-round pick to the Portland Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington.

The Clippers are trading Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and future second-round pick to the Trail Blazers for Norman Powell and Robert Covington, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 4, 2022

Things have been relatively quiet around the NBA lately, as although we have had plenty of rumors, trades just haven't been occurring. However, this trade certainly is a noteworthy one and could potentially get the ball rolling from here.

At this point of the season, the Clippers have a 27-27 record and are 8th in the Western Conference. It's clear that their roster has been in need of some changes and now they are getting them. As for the Trail Blazers, they have a 21-31 record and were expected to be sellers this deadline season. Now, they are proving that narrative to be true.

Powell has been having an excellent season with the Trail Blazers this campaign. In 40 games, he is averaging 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. As for Covington, he also has been quite effective. In 48 games, he has averaged 7.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.4 assists. These two additions should truly help strengthen the Clippers' roster. They certainly need them to, as they are desperately trying to climb up the standings in the Western Conference.

The Trail Blazers also are getting a pretty decent return, though. Bledsoe is the most notable out of the trip of players. The 756-game veteran's offense has gone down a bit this year, but he's still effective. In 54 games, he has averaged 9.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.

Winslow, a 2015 first-round pick, has averaged 4.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per contest. He also only averaged 12.9 minutes per game, so he will be hoping for more of a chance with Portland. As for Johnson, the 19-year-old prospect has appeared in 15 games this season, where he has averaged 3.5 points, 1.4 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

Overall, this is a fun way for the NBA trading season to begin. Here's to hoping we have more big splashes like this one shortly!