4 trades to make the Portland Trail Blazers instant title contenders

The Blazers already have their cornerstone stars to lead them to the playoffs, what they might  need are complementary players for that extra edge against the competition. Who better to fill that void than the epitome of “glue guy” himself, Robert Covington?

Prior to a season-ending injury, “Lord Covington” was playing like a legitimate DPOY candidate. Above average at almost all facets of the game, Covington is the type of presence that makes his teammates better on and off the court. Not a star in his own right, he commands a relatively small price tag while delivering a big bang for your buck.

Covington would make an immediate impact on a Blazers’ team with a dearth of talent at the wing position. He can match up well (or at least, as well as anyone can) against the rival forwards the Blazers must go through en route to a championship such as Paul George, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and more. Covington’s shooting ability could also cover the hole left by impending free agents Seth Curry and Rodney Hood.

Also it would be a relief to see Covington start nailing game-winning daggers for the Portland Trail Blazers instead of against them.

Stuck in NBA purgatory due to their poor financial decisions, the Timberwolves will have to find a way to flip their bloated contracts into an actual rebuild. With nearly $75 million tied up between Andrew Wiggins, Jeff Teague, Gorgui Deng and Robert Covington, the Timberwolves are not offering much promise for already maxed-out franchise star Karl-Anthony Towns.

As so many NBA stars have shown us recently, they will force their way out if you won’t build a contender around them. This current core is not and will never be a title contender. Minnesota would be wise to collect building pieces from Covington’s value while they still can in hopes of successful rebuild around Towns.