The Clippers did not hesitate to trade Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Blazers last week to reinforce the depth of the lineup. General Manager Lawrence Frank later claimed to the media that the team is willing to pay 2-4 times the price to find a lineup that is suitable for Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. . Unexpectedly, at the trade deadline, the seemingly opposite operation occurred. The Clippers sent Serge Ibaka to the Bucks in exchange for Semi Ojele and Rodney Hood without any draft picks.
Further reading:It’s nice that the boss has money!Los Angeles Clippers trade Norman Powell, Robert Covington pros and cons
The biggest advantage of the speedboat on the book is the luxury tax that “saved 30 million”. What else? Ojeleye and Hood mightn’t meet the Clippers’ roster needs, and neither was a useful force at their former club. First, he spent a lot of money to show the audacity of a wealthy family, and then he suddenly sacrificed his strength to save money within a week. Does Clipper owner Steve Ballmer really care regarding luxury tax? Here are a few small details regarding the Serge Ibaka deal.
There is no doubt that the speedboat’s combat power has declined! Direct loss of a thick veteran combat power. Although he has been in and out of the injured list in the past two years, Ibaka is the only center in the team who has both outside range and rim protection. When both the speedboat stars have fallen, it can be expected that the speedboat will gradually drift away, but to achieve the short-term goal of “entering the playoffs”, at least the importance of style of play is indispensable. The two biggest gaps in the current Clippers: center and ball control, have indeed failed to improve in this year’s trade.
PS: The follow-up will focus on the buyout market, including Goran Dragic, Robin Lopez, Tristan Thompson, DJ Augustin, Tomas Satoransky are all suitable for the basic salary emergency, can cut Ojele and Hood to get the vacancy on the list.
Clippers owner Ballmer has always given the impression of being rich and powerful, but the actual management is quite preoccupied. The contract price and year are very accurate. For example, Lou Williams, Terance Mann, and Ivica Zubac will not get stuck because of the contract relationship. In addition, they sold Mfiondu Kabengele through trading, which is also to save money. There’s nothing wrong with spending money on the knife edge, especially since Ibaka is an expiring contract and now waiting for the value to go to zero without dealing with the summer, the key lies in the additional benefits of the trade.
Can’t get a new member to upgrade, at least get a second-round pick? Not a single draft pick. Or it shows that Ibaka’s market is not good, there is no reason for the tank team to start, and the strong teams tend to wait and see the buyout market, or simply judge that Ibaka is not worth paying (requires salary balance). If you can’t get a practical player, no one wants to settle for the next draft pick. If you don’t want to simply save money, the only option left for the Clippers is TE (trading special case).
In addition to saving 30 million in luxury tax, the speedboat has obtained a TE quota of 9.7 million (special transaction), and can receive contracts of regarding the same value in the next year. There is also a TE quota of 8.2 million obtained by trading Rondo. It is expected that in July Expiry, will be the first place the Clippers need to deal with following this season. Therefore, to more fully judge the success or failure of the Ibaka trade, we will have to wait until at least the middle of next year’s season to see the clues.
For example, taking over Eric Bledose before, the Clippers not only bet on the chemical effect of the players, but also pay more attention to the manipulative nature of the contract. Compared with the salary space that can be freely signed, TE is relatively difficult to use. The timing and rules are full of limitations, and it cannot be organized with players to organize transactions. If you want to reach a deal, you must add some second-round picks as sweetness. TE can let the Clippers take over the contract without giving up the existing players. In addition to earning a little handling fee, the other party can also save salary space. The target customer group is aimed at the team that is going to be demolished and rebuilt.
Although there is no second wave of heavyweight transactions, the Clippers have no less chips. Terance Mann can be put on the trading table next season. Luke Kennard and Marcus Morris, who have one year less contracts, as long as they can maintain their skills, the value will not drop. Too big, and Ivica Zubac only has one year of team options left, which is also where it can be manipulated.
The thing to worry regarding is that, as the Pelicans and the Kings start to sprint for the playoffs, the Clippers, which had a difficult schedule in the second half of the season, suffered a three-game losing streak following the trade. The test of the play-offs is much more difficult than before February. Looking forward to the future, the Clippers really shouldn’t make decisions that go once morest their “long-term interests” for short-term competition. That is, the fans are a little bit tougher. In addition to hoping to buy out the market to pick up good goods, they probably have to swallow that the Clippers are lagging behind from time to time by 20. A poor 30-point performance, and the fact that it might not make the playoffs.