The biggest players in the free agency market have already made their decisions, but the NBA has a long way to go before entering the summer downturn.
This is thanks to the Clippers and Grizzlies- operates the Clippers, which are focused on maintaining the "original lineup" this summer, and finally ushered in the first change. Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Otulu were sent to the Grizzlies in exchange for Eric Bradsoe.
Bradsoe and his contract
11 years ago, the point guard started his NBA career in Angel City with the 18th overall pick in the 2010 draft. Brad was the first to start his NBA career. Suo served as a substitute for Chris Paul. He played well in only 20 minutes of playing time. He was nicknamed "Mini LeBron" by fans and was traded to the Clippers after playing for three years. Phoenix city.
But the teenager set off with ambitions, but reality always hit him hard. Bradsoe played in the Suns for four years, was traded to the Bucks by the team, and then went to New Orleans and stayed in Memphis. After three weeks, I finally returned to Los Angeles where the dream began-now Los Angeles hopes that the 31-year-old player can return to his second spring.
Regardless of Bradsoe’s actual combat power, let’s take a look at his contract first- is entitled to only 3.9 million US dollars of the 19.4 million US dollars that Bradsoe is entitled to in the last contract year of 2021-2022 It is guaranteed. In this transaction, the team also received a special transaction, which may come in handy in future transactions. Before this deal, Los Angeles had 16 guarantee contracts, and now there is still a free spot in the 15-man roster-so the essence of the Clippers deal is to use 3 for 1 sister to solve the problem of list overload and win the future. Possibility of a second transaction.
On the other hand,At the same time, the team also received an additional 8.25 million transaction exception, which can be used in buyouts or related transactions. In addition, according to ESPN salary expert Bobby Marks calculations, this transaction can also reduce the luxury tax by nearly 30 million. —— Therefore, the main reason for this transaction may be another aspect: finance.
As Bobby Max calculated, if Beverley ($14.3 million salary for the 2021/22 season), Rondo ($7.5 million) and Otulu ($1.5 million) are replaced by Bledsoe (US$18.1 million), then the luxury tax bill will fall by US$125 million to US$95 million.
Los Angeles saved 30 million in luxury taxes, and there was almost no risk — for these reasons alone, this deal was a victory for the Clippers.
The strength of Bradsoe
In recent years, Bledsoe's reputation has been hit hard, mainly due to his poor playoff performance during the Bucks. In Milwaukee, he entered the All-Defensive Team twice and performed well in the regular season, but he often cuts out on the playoffs stage, which caused the Bucks to send him to the New Orleans Pelicans— -In return, Zhuholledi helped win the championship this year-as a saying goes, winning is not terrible, who is embarrassed by the lack of it, and Bradsoe's current value has fallen to the bottom.
But no matter how Bradsoe was complained by the Bucks in the past, or he became a negative equity that the Pelicans and Grizzlies don’t want to be resold, he was selected twice for the defensive ability of the best defensive team and averaged double figures per game. His scoring ability proves that he is still a defender with starting strength. Before giving any long-term contract commitments, the Clippers do not need Bradsoe as a starting point to win the championship, nor do they expect him to return to the 20 points per game in the previous Suns. He just needs to be the sixth man on the bench,Beverly’s original playing time of about 20 minutes is enough-I believe that when the responsibility decreases, Bradsoe’s performance will pick up, and the Clippers can take care of it while maintaining a certain amount of combat power. Flexibility in future operations.
And Bradsoe has been known as a "small gun" in the Clippers from the beginning of his career. In the last eight seasons, he has averaged more than 12 points per game. The destructive power it brings can actually improve the Clippers' offensive mode of over-reliance on shooting. As long as he can play well for 20 minutes, this will not be a bad reinforcement. If there are performances like Reggie and Batum's rejuvenation, the Clippers will make a lot of money.
Loss of the Clippers
In addition, what we should face is that Beverly, this "garbage dog" guard who is remembered for his fierce defense, is not considered healthy for the past four years. Well, last season he missed 32 games, and next season he will be 33 years old-when the Clippers' championship time point was pulled to 2022-23 after Leonard was injured. Foley can only become a victim, in exchange for more trading possibilities, sending Beverly away, more like a timely stop loss than a loss.
And Rajon Rondo, the Celtics and Lakers champion guard did not really gain trust after being traded to the Clippers from Atlanta in the middle of last season. As an experienced leader and additional organizer, Rondo did not achieve the desired effect of the Clippers. In the playoffs, he even dropped out of the rotation of head coach Tylen Lue. Is his departure a loss? It is, but it's not that significant.
As for Otulu, it is another talent cultivation that the Clippers failed. The season was given very little playing time. The Clippers selected centers in the draft for two consecutive years but failed to properly cultivate them, and once again had a emptiness.
Beverly and Rondo will become free agents in 2022. They are not the long-term core of the team regardless of whether they are renewed. The market situation of the two is obviously not good, especially the 14 million contract of the former, even if multiple teams Its defensive ability,With the salary balance, it is not easy to come up with a transaction plan that makes the Clippers nod. It is a bit of a surprise to find the Grizzlies to accept Bradsoe. Rather than staying the same, this is another path the Clippers can try to take at the moment.
The exchange of the younger Bradsoe is not so much a blood exchange, as it is an extension of the observation period. It depends on the positioning of the Clippers in the next year and the way the contract will be dealt with next season. The real value of this transaction.
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