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The Los Angeles Clippers made the biggest move of their offseason on Sunday, sending Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu to the Memphis Grizzlies for Eric Bledsoe (who moved from the Pelicans to the Grizzlies in another deal a few weeks ago). The move clears some clutter from the Clippers roster and saves them on their luxury tax bill but it’s also, hopefully, a move that helps them win.
It’s a little disorienting to remember how Eric Bledsoe was viewed just three years ago when the Bucks traded for him a few weeks into the 2017-18 season. The trade was almost universally lauded as a home run swing for Milwaukee with SBNation’s Tom Ziller summarizing the conventional wisdom on how Bledsoe could be a game-changer for the Bucks:
“Having another shot creator on the floor should relieve some pressure from Giannis, who has been drawing special attention from opposing defenses for more than a year now.
Bledsoe isn’t exactly a knockdown shooter, but he’s a bigger ball-handling threat than any other Buck but Giannis, and so defensive anchors and helpers will be on watch when the new point guard has the ball. That should allow Antetokounmpo to see even better opportunities for off-ball action.
Bledsoe also adds another good passer to the team, which should help the overall attack. When engaged, he can be a strong defender, which is where Milwaukee has the most potential.”
Bledsoe did prove to be an upgrade and the Bucks won a whopping 70 percent of the regular-season games he played in, but his numbers dropped significantly in the postseason and he posted a true shooting percentage of just 49.4 percent across three disappointing playoff runs. The trade last offseason that sent Bledsoe to the Pelicans and brought Jrue Holiday to Milwaukee was met with much of the same optimism as Bledsoe’s arrival three years earlier. But it was obvious during the Bucks’ championship what Holiday was able to provide that Bledsoe wasn’t.
What are the Clippers getting in Eric Bledsoe?
Bledsoe’s one season in New Orleans didn’t do anything to rehab his reputation. He’s a guard who relies heavily on athletic advantages but he’ll turn 32 in December and is coming off a season in which he tied or set career lows in rebounds, assists, steals and blocks per 36 minutes and his lowest true-shooting percentage since the 2012-13 season when he was just 23. He’s still not an off-ball floor spacer — he made 34.8 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3s last season. He’s good but not great on defense. His abilities as a creator have eroded a bit as well — he shot 44.7 percent on 9.3 drives per game last season, about the same as Elfrid Payton — although he still has some upside as a drive-and-kick threat.
Compared separately to Rondo’s offense and Beverley’s defense, Bledsoe seems like he might be a downgrade in both areas. But comparing two players to one kind of misses the point — he’s much better than Rondo defensively and much better than Beverely offensively and rather than an either-or backup point guard situation, with Ty Lue having to prioritize offense or defense based on the matchup, the Clippers now have a lot more balance at the stop. The upgrade comes, conceptually, from Rondo and Beverley’s skill sets on the floor at the same time in one player instead of two.
Bledsoe is making just over $18 million for the 2021-22 season but his `$19 million figure for 2022-23 is only partially guaranteed. That means the Clippers could cut ties at the end of this season if it’s a disaster or potentially use that partial guarantee to make him more palatable in a larger trade, sending him to a team that can absorb some salary. Bledsoe is not a savior for the Clippers but this looks like a very solid move without a ton of long-term risk.
Will Paul Reed actually be in the 76ers rotation this season?
Paul Reed is basically screaming for meaningful minutes at this point. He appeared in just 26 games for a grand total of 177 minutes last year. In and around those brief appearances he won G League MVP, averaging 22.3 points, 11.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.0 steals and 1.8 blocks per game, shooting 58.8 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. In his Summer League finale, he posted 27 points on just 17 shots, along with 20 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and 4 blocks. Across all of Summer League, he averaged 17.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 steals and 2.5 blocks per game.
Statistically at least, Reed has made a pretty strong case that he should be a big part of the 76ers’ rotation this season. But there are some significant barriers. Tobias Harris is firmly entrenched as the starting 4 after a career season and although Ben Simmons plays a different role than Reed would on offense, his defensive versatility means he defends a lot of the matchups that Reed would. And then there is Georges Niang and Mike Scott, who both have more reliable track records as floor-spacers.
However, the continued lower-league dominance of Reed could give the 76ers a bit more flexibility in trade discussions around Simmons. Basically, if they trust Reed to fill some of Simmons’ defensive responsibilities in the rotation they don’t have to worry about getting back someone in the trade who could as well. It seems long past dead at this point but basically, a straight-up Simmons for CJ McCollum trade is a lot more palatable knowing Reed is there.
Other NBA Summer League takeaways
In general, NBA Summer League dominance should be taken with a grain of salt. But there are always the rare cases of a player who looks unexpectedly strong as a rookie and then is just clearly a step ahead of the competition in Summer League. The Grizzlies shut down Desmond Bane after just two games, in which he averaged 24 points, 4.0 assists and 3.5 rebounds, and made 9-of-13 from beyond the arc. This guy is going to have a big year.
For years, people are going to be wondering how in the world Sharife Cooper fell to No. 48 and the second round of the NBA Draft. He was rated as a lottery talent on a lot of draft boards and while he had some problems — 17 turnovers in three games — he also piled up 27 assists, made 5-of-13 3-pointers and basically got anywhere he wanted. His role is going to continue to be small with Hawks because of Trae Young but he’s an elite creator and eventually, he’s going to pop.
Jonathan Kuminga is who we thought he was. For all the highlights he made at NBA Summer League, he finished shooting 37.3 percent from the field, 27.8 percent from beyond the arc and 11 turnovers to 8 assists. G League superstar is probably the best-case scenario for him this season.
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