Robert Covington and Gorgui Dieng
Robert Covington has been discussed in trades all over the NBA this season. On the Blazers side of things though, Jason Peterson ( @jpsperspective ) was the first person to pitch this idea. Like every fan base that needs a three and d wing, ‘ ROCO ” is the gold standard. All-NBA defender, plus shooter from three, good finisher at the rim. And the best thing is his approx $12 million a year contract, locked in for this year plus two more years.
Gorgui Dieng‘s salary for next year would come back in a deal where the Blazers first-rounder for this year would go out. This top 20 protected pick would go out alongside a Mario Hezonja salary dump and Whiteside.
On the court, Covington is an immediate upgrade over Ariza. One of the best help defenders in the league, he will give this Blazers team a lockdown three, four and five when Nurkic and Zach Collins return. He is a strong three-point shooter and can defend multiple positions.
Dieng’s salary is a negative but he can add value on the second unit as a backup big. He stretches the floor and plays strong defense, and with one year left on his deal he becomes an expiring contract with value for next year. Gorgui is also a strong passer and rebounder, he has great positional size and would be an upgrade as a backup center.
For the Wolves, they would get an extra first round pick and would cut almost $30 million in salary for next season. This would enable them to go after a point guard in free agency also.
Whiteside would finish the season with the Wolves as the backup center and then hit the market in free agency next year.
If they were to make this move the Blazers would likely move off of Ariza’s contract for next year as they would have their starting small forward of the future in Covington with Rodney Hood able to come off the bench next year. This would move them under the luxury tax as well. A massive achievement considering this year’s salary bill.
The three trades mentioned above all achieve different outcomes. But the main thing they have in common is using Whiteside’s expiring salary to set the team up for future years.
A strong wing rotation will push this team over the top in the years to come, with only a few days till the deadline, it will be interesting to see how it all plays out.