Blazers Trade Norman Powell, Robert Covington to Clippers

The Portland Trail Blazers have kicked off trade season with a bang.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers are sending Robert Covington and Norman Powell to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, rookie Keon Johnson and a 2025 second-round pick.

Covington has struggled with the Blazers this season, averaging just 7.6 points per game, while Powell has shined, averaging 18.7 points per game just less than a year after signing a five-year, $90 million contract.

In return, the Blazers are receiving veteran Eric Bledsoe, who could be a buyout candidate, along with Justise Winslow and Keon Johnson, both of whom have struggled to find minutes in the crowded Clippers rotation.

Winslow signed a two-year contract this past offseason with the Clippers, but is averaging a career-low 4.2 points per game. Johnson, the 21st overall pick in last summer’s draft, has played in just 15 games this season, averaging 3.5 points per game.

The Blazers have made it clear that with this trade, the team is looking to rebuild getting Powell’s future money off the books allows the team more contract flexibility in the future.