Robert Covington – Portland Trail Blazers
Building off the idea of adding some more help on the defensive-end of the floor, why not go after an experienced two-way frontcourt talent that can also play on the wing in Robert Covington?
The Portland Trail Blazers are falling apart in the Western Conference right now and being tied with the Thunder and Pelicans with 13 wins on the season, it will not be long until we see the Blazers start trading away assets to rebuild.
Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic are going to be the first two names this team looks to get rid of not because they are bad players, but because they will both be unrestricted free agents following the conclusion of this season.
He has had his fair share of struggles to begin the season, but Robert Covington is still a key secondary talent because of his ability to defend virtually any position on the floor. Standing 6’7” with a 7’2” wingspan, Robert Covington has played some small-forward, power-forward and center in smaller lineups over the last 2-3 years, which is why he could be of use to the Jazz.
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While Utah does have Rudy Gobert and Hassan Whiteside at center, neither big man is especially good at defending outside of the paint. Robert Covington can guard multiple positions, making him a versatile “3-and-D” player in Utah.
If the Jazz are to find success in the playoffs, especially against the likes of the Suns and Warriors, they are going to need to be able to match both team’s smaller lineups.
Playing Rudy Gobert against smaller lineups does give the Jazz a size advantage offensively in the low-post/paint, but just look at what happened to them last season in the playoffs when the Clippers dismantled Gobert in 5-out offensive sets!
Finding another frontcourt talent that can not only help Bogdanovic and O’Neale defensively at power-forward, but Rudy Gobert at center could be essential to this team making a deep playoff run.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: 3 Trade Targets For Utah Jazz To Bolster Title Chances
Making $12.1M this season, the Jazz may have a hard time trading for Robert Covington, but moving Joe Ingles in a trade for the Blazers’ veteran seems to make the most sense. Joe Ingles is beloved by this fanbase, but it is hard to see what his impact is other than being a 38.3% three-point shooter on the season.
