RoCo in Rip City – Portland Trail Blazers deal for Robert Covington
The Portland Trail Blazers got some much-needed frontcourt help when they traded with Houston for Robert Covington.
YES!! Remember how I was telling you about how great having Trevor Ariza back on the Portland Trail Blazers is? How he fills the void at the small forward spot? An area where the team has desperately tried to get help. Know that my excitement for Robert Covington is 1,000 times more. RoCo, that’s his nickname, brings the same skill set that Ariza does but is younger.
The Rockets are finalizing a trade to send Robert Covington to Portland for Trevor Ariza and 2020 first-round pick and 2021 protected first-round pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020
RoCo is one of the NBA’s better defenders at the three/four spot. There is more good news. Rodney Hood declined his $6M player option and is now a free agent. That opens up the path for RoCo to start and frees up the necessary cap space to bring back Carmelo Anthony.
Back to the main guy of this article. Covington is a career 40.6 percent shooter and 35.6 percent three-point shooter while getting 1.6 steals a game for his career. Last year in Houston, he saw a huge increase in block shots, to 2.2 a game. That was due more to Houston’s aversion to playing anyone taller than 6-7 (that’s Covington’s height).
Offensively, Covington adds more shooting and floor spacing to this offense. All while fitting perfectly as a third or fourth scoring option. A nice bonus (hopefully isn’t used all that often) is that Covington has experience playing center. That’s if Terry Stotts takes a page out of Mike D’Antoni’s playbook, or if Zach Collins misses more time and Hassan Whiteside isn’t resigned. Some of the older Rip City faithful are talking about how this deal reminds them of when the Blazers acquired Gerald “Crash” Wallace. I can get behind those sentiments.
High price
Ok, there is a downside. Covington wasn’t exactly cheap to acquire. The cost was Trevor Ariza, the 16th overall pick in the 2020 draft, and a 2021 protected first-round pick. Truth be told, I think it may be a bit much. But…
If the trade brings a title to the Rose City, then it’s totally worth it. Also, to get Houston to agree to the deal then it had to be worthwhile for them. Ariza and first is good, but I wouldn’t move RoCo for just that. After all, Ariza is 35 and has some legal issues in his near future. Why would H-Town want a guy who does the same as RoCo and is older?” Getting the 16th overall pick is nice. The chances are good that it won’t net a player who can step in and contribute right away. That’s where the extra pick comes into play.
Sports fans know that if the right guy comes along, then the price is more than justified. That is absolutely the case with this deal. If your initial reaction to this news is the same as mine, then you don’t need any extra convincing. If you fall on the side of “We gave up too much,” then let me ask you a question. When the Larry O’Brien trophy is hanging out in Rip City at the end of the season, are you still going to be saying the cost was too much?
The Blazers core is old and only getting older. If Damian Lillard and Co. are to be bringing us a title, then this is the move that needs to be made. RoCo will bring his playoff experience and help this team reach the NBA Championship series.
Crystal Ball
Now, for some prognosticating. This trade all but confirms that Houston will move both Russell Westbrook and James Harden. I’d also expect them to move Ariza around trade deadline time to a contender. Houston is going into a necessary rebuild, and they need as much draft capital as possible.
The Blazers are far from done putting a roster together for the 2020-21 season. Expect some signings and possibly a trade or two before they take the Moda Center floor next month.
What do you think about the Portland Trail Blazers trade for Robert Covington? Let us know in the comments section below or on social media.