The Portland Trail Blazers kicked off the NBA Trade Deadline season when they completed a trade with the LA Clippers over the weekend. Portland was always expected to be sellers at the deadline, but this was a deal that surprised some people.
The Trail Blazers sent Norman Powell, whom the team signed to a five-year, $90 million deal in free agency last summer and Robert Covington to Los Angeles. In exchange, they received Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson, Justise Winslow and a second-round pick in 2025.
Some people see that as a disappointing return for the Trail Blazers. But, their goal wasn’t to bring back the best players in the package. They were focused on saving some money, as they shed a lot of long-term salary.
Bledsoe’s contract for the 2022-23 season is not fully guaranteed. Winslow is on an expiring deal while Johnson is on a rookie contract. Taking that back for the chance to move off from Powell’s remaining money was deemed a good move by Portland’s front office.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Blazers Expected To Trade McCollum; Mavs, Pelicans Linked
As Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report shared, Powell actually had more value around the league than CJ McCollum.
“The Trail Blazers already signaled their interest in shedding long-term salary by trading Norman Powell and Robert Covington to Los Angeles for merely Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie guard Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick,” Fischer wrote. “That deal sets a difficult precedent for Portland to command a much richer return for McCollum, whom rival team personnel have largely deemed to hold less trade value than Powell.”
Fischer would seem to be right in his reporting, as the Trail Blazers just agreed to a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans centered around McCollum. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans are sending Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickel Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, a future first-round pick and future second to the Blazers in exchange for CJ McCollum, Larry Nance and Tony Snell.
This is another money-saving move for Portland, as McCollum signed a three-year, $100 million deal that runs through 2024. Hart signed a three-year deal worth just under $38 million as a free agent last year, but the second year is non-guaranteed and the third year, should it get that far, is a player option.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Blazers Expected To Trade McCollum; Mavs, Pelicans Linked
So, the Portland Trail Blazers will be clearing tens of millions of dollars from their future salary cap and could clear even more should they waive Hart and his non-guaranteed deal for next season.
One has to wonder if Damian Lillard will be next in Portland. They are making a concerted effort to slash their future payroll but could mean they have no interest in signing him to an extension this offseason that would make him the highest-paid player in the league into his mid-30s.
For the New Orleans Pelicans, they are hopeful that Zion Williamson can return. A trio of him, Brandon Ingram and McCollum will be a very difficult one to slow down offensively with Devonte’ Graham and Jonas Valanciunas rounding out their starting lineup.
