In a rather shocking turn of events, the Los Angeles Clippers are trading Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley and Daniel Oturu to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for NBA veteran guard Eric Bledsoe.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news and noted that the Grizzlies are “open-minded” on the future of Rondo, Beverley and Oturu. However, they are reportedly likely to consider trading the incoming three players once again.
As for the Clippers, it seems to be a move to clear some cap space, as they will be able to reduce their NBA tax bill by $30 million with the deal. They will also get an $8.3 million trade exception, per Bobby Marks of ESPN.
It was already Eric Bledsoe's second trade this offseason after he was sent by the New Orleans Pelicans to Grizzlies before the 2021 NBA Draft. Alongside Steven Adams, Bledsoe was sent packing to Memphis in exchange for center Jonas Valanciunas.
As for Rondo and Beverley, the Clippers were certainly not satisfied with their performance from the past postseason. The team lacked ballhandling and playmaking, and the two failed to step up and give them a much-needed boost to finally get over the hump and reach the NBA Finals.
It remains to be seen where the two will end up with after the trade, but it's safe to assume they won't be suiting up for an already stacked Grizzlies squad that has Ja Morant manning the point.
On the other hand, Bledsoe appears to be a good fit for a Clippers team looking for a starting-caliber point guard. And at 31 years old, he still has a lot of gas left in the tank to compete for the NBA title.