Fantasy basketball: What is Norman Powell and Robert Covington’s fantasy value with the Clippers?
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Clippers will receive Norman Powell and Robert Covington from the Blazers in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and a 2025 second round pick.
The trade is all the more shocking due to the fact that the Trail Blazers gave up two future first round picks, Gary Trent Jr., Rodney Hood and Trevor Ariza, for Powell and Covington within the last calendar year.
By making this trade, the Clippers have now better positioned themselves as a playoff team in the Western Conference with a strong supporting cast and the hope that either Paul George or Kawhi Leonard return to the fold by season’s end. The Clippers get two veteran wings in Powell and Covington that provide an immediate offensive boost.
This season, Powell has averaged 18.7 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.1 APG and 1.0 SPG. Meanwhile, Covington has chipped in with 7.6 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.5 SPG and 1.3 BPG. Powell is the preferred option out of these two, and clearly the better scorer, but both will play enough minutes to remain just as useful on the Clippers as they were in Portland. Even though surprising wing Amir Coffey has been a great story and a top-90 player during the past month, the arrival of the two proven veterans figures to have a negative impact on him.
As far as Portland is concerned, this trade signals that the Blazers have given up on this season and are preparing for the future. Damian Lillard, who is recuperating from abdominal surgery, is not likely to return this season, and considering his desire to sign a lucrative contract extension, there is a stronger likelihood of him being traded. As the engine of the Trail Blazers’ offense before his injury, Lillard had a usage rate of 30%.
The Blazers have filled Lillard’s void most recently with CJ McCollum, who has averaged 24 PPG, 5.5 APG and 3.8 RPG during the past four games, and Anfernee Simons, who Portland appears to highly coveted as a result of this trade. Simons has averaged 19.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 5.6 APG in 34.4 minutes in his last five games. Currently available in 47% of ESPN leagues, Simons’ roster percentage is sure to rise as a result of Friday’s deal, so act accordingly if he’s there for the taking in your league.
Simons’ and McCollum’s fantasy value increase substantially, and they are likely to be on a high number of championship fantasy teams this season.
Bledsoe will likely back up Simons. With the Clippers, he had a similar role as the backup to veteran Reggie Jackson. In 25.2 minutes per game, Bledsoe averaged 10 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 4.2 APG and 1.3 SPG in 54 games after coming over from the Pelicans over the summer. Coffey’s rise in LA made him expendable.