NBA Trade Grades: LA Clippers

Finding more experienced players who can contribute on both ends of the court was a main goal for the Clippers entering the offseason with their limited cap space and adding Eric Bledsoe is definitely a much better move than many people would believe. He has definitely had his ups and downs, but overall, Bledsoe is a reliable, solid guard who can play on or off-the-ball. 

The 2021-22 season will be Eric Bledsoe’s 12th season in the league and while he had a down year last season with the Pelicans, he has averaged 14.4 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists, 1.1 steals and has shot 33.7% from three-point range the last three seasons in New Orleans and Milwaukee. 

Not only can he hold his own defensively, but Bledsoe is also a much better and more reliable scorer than Patrick Beverley was, which is why this trade is definitely an upgrade for the Clippers in terms of backcourt talent. However, going out and potentially finding a way to get Kyle Lowry or Kemba Walker would have been a much better move for this organization in terms of their chances of winning a title in the Western Conference. 

Plus, the Clippers wind up saving themselves about $30M in taxes by trading away Beverley, Rondo and Oturu to Memphis for Eric Bledsoe. Prior to this deal, the Clippers were an estimated $36M or so over the tax line for the 2021-22 season, resulting in them paying a lot of money to field the team that they were. 

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By moving mainly Beverley and Rondo, the Clippers front-office was able to save about $30M by having their tax bill drop from $125M to $95M, per ESPN’s front-office insider Bobby Marks, and they also create an $8.3M trade exception that they could wind up using near the trade deadline next season to add more talent to their roster in hopes of making another deep playoff push. 

Many will hate on Eric Bledsoe and mock the Clippers for making this move, but this was a very smart business decision for Los Angeles to make. This may not have been the best move they could have made this offseason in terms of adding more backcourt help, but Eric Bledsoe will definitely be a guy that aids them in their playoff efforts. 

Grade: B-