The Los Angeles Clippers struck for first blood ahead of the NBA trade deadline after acquiring veterans Norman Powell and Robert Covington from the Portland Trail Blazers.

Given that the package LAC sent in return centered around Eric Bledsoe, the trade seems very lopsided on paper. Norman Powell is the best player in the deal by far. He's also locked under contract for the next four seasons for less than $20 million in annual salary.

Robert Covington is having a down season but is still an outstanding defender and offers yet another lengthy, switchable wing for Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue to utilize.

The only reason that it makes sense for the Blazers is as a salary dump, with Bledsoe's non-guaranteed contract for next season allowing them to removed unwanted salary.

Objectively speaking, it's the Clippers who should be eager to shed salary. They're already the team with the largest committed salary through 2025 and have a luxury tax bill that's at nine figures, more than the entire payroll of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

But with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer, money is no object. The tech mogul is far and away the richest owner in the NBA with roughly $100 billion in estimated net worth. His financial commitment to the team is never in question.

That's why while teams clown the Clippers for signing Luke Kennard to a $56 million deal while also locking up Marcus Morris, Reggie Jackson and Terance Mann to eight-figure contracts, the fact of the matter is there's barely any opportunity cost for them.

Steve Ballmer isn't telling Clippers president Lawrence Frank to hold off on any deals even though they're knee-deep in luxury tax payments. Instead, he's given the green light for him to pursue even more contracts that would penalize the team even further. Even Frank himself was in disbelief that it happened.

Via Joey Linn of SI:

“We never thought it was realistic for us to get a player like Norm Powell for a team that won’t have salary cap space for a long, long, long time. It’s really, really hard to get players like Norm, who are under a long-term deal, who are in their prime.”

More often than not, the reason cap-strapped teams don't get a player like Norm Powell is not only because it takes some financial finagling, but because they're unwilling to do so.

The Clippers salary goes even higher with the addition of Powell and Covington, the latter of whom is a free agent but whose Bird rights they now own. Is there any doubt whether they'll throw him a contract assuming he proves worth the price this season?

LA's success still largely hinges on the health of their two superstars in Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. Without those two, all the peripheral moves are all for naught. But when healthy, this group which already was a true NBA title contender now looks even more lethal with another offensive weapon in Powell and their nth battle-tested 3-and-D veteran in Covington.

Steve Ballmer is making sure to do everything in his power to build a viable contender on the Los Angeles Clippers. Now it's up to the basketball gods (and medical professionals) to make sure his stars are healthy enough to take advantage.