The Los Angeles Clippers have changed to Patrick Beverley, Rajon rondo and Daniel Oturu to the Memphis Grizzlies, for the point guard Eric Bledsoesources told ESPN.
The deal saves the Clippers $ 30 million in luxury taxes and creates a traded player exception of $ 8.3 million that they will have one year to use.
Bledsoe, 31, was selected by the Clippers in 2010 and spent the first three years of his career with the franchise. Bledsoe, a two-time member of the NBA defensive team, is expected to play a significant role in the Clippers’ shooting guard rotation.
The trade gives the Grizzlies salary cap flexibility in the summer of 2022, when Bledsoe is guaranteed $ 3.9 million of the $ 19.3 million from the final year of his contract. Memphis has 16 guaranteed contracts now and will be open to trades for some of the returning players on this deal, the sources said. The Grizzlies are open-minded about how everyone on the team might fit in, but Memphis already has a packed roster.
Beverley was a popular player with the Clippers, where he spent the last four years of his career. He lost his incumbent position to protect Reggie jackson in the Western Conference playoffs. Both Beverley ($ 14.3 million) and Rondo ($ 7.5 million) have expiring contracts for the 2020-2021 season.
Oturo was the 33rd pick in the 2020 draft and had had a solid NBA Summer League with the Clippers. New Orleans Pelicans traded Bledsoe to the Grizzlies before the July draft to create salary cap space, and Memphis had been working to move Bledsoe to a new destination.
Bledsoe played in 81 games and started 25 games as a rookie, but the Clippers acquired Chris paul the following season, limiting Bledsoe’s playing time. After three seasons with the Clippers, Bledsoe was traded to Phoenix. He played his best basketball in Phoenix, averaging 21.1 points and 6.3 rebounds in 2016-17.
He was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks the following season, but Milwaukee traded him in a four-team trade to New Orleans in a deal that sent to Jrue Holiday to the Bucks in November 2020. Bledsoe averaged 12.2 points and 3.8 assists in 71 games last season.
He will join a Clippers team that re-signed Jackson in free agency after Jackson shone in the playoffs. Since it is expected that Kawhi leonard Missing significant time next season while recovering from surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, Bledsoe gives the Clippers a player who has played 71 games or more in three of the last four seasons.
Beverly was a fan favorite in Los Angeles due to her defense and hustle and was an emotional leader for the Clippers when they exceeded expectations and surprisingly made the postseason in 2018-19. Beverley, however, was only able to play in 27 games last season due to injuries.
Rondo was acquired from the Atlanta Hawks at the trade deadline last season for Lou williams and two second-round picks. The Clippers had expected Rondo to give them lead and playoff plays as point guard, but the veteran played in just 13 playoff games and dropped out of Ty Lue’s postseason rotation during the Clippers’ run to the Western Conference Finals.
ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk contributed to this report.