<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/eric-bledsoe-michael-beasley-shanghai-sharks-fixing-games');   ga('set', 'title', 'Eric Bledsoe, Michael Beasley’s Chinese basketball team disqualified for fixing playoff games');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Eric-Bledsoe-Michael-Beasley_s-Chinese-basketball-team-disqualified-for-fixing-playoff-games.jpg"></figure><h1>Eric Bledsoe, Michael Beasley’s Chinese basketball team disqualified for fixing playoff games</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2023-04-17T09:19:06-07:00">April 17th, 9:19am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2023-04-18T12:32:56-07:00">April 18th, 12:32pm</time><address><a>Mark Nilon</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Former NBA players Eric Bledsoe and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/michael-beasley-is-about-to-make-bank-with-7-figure-deal-with-chinas-shanghai-sharks" rel="noopener">Michael Beasley find their current team</a>, the Shanghai Sharks, wrapped up in a mighty controversy as Chinese basketball authorities have <a href="https://news.yahoo.com/chinese-basketball-investigates-suspicious-game-060843992.html" rel="noopener">ordered an investigation</a> into a questionable outcome of a recently played CBA championship-round game.</p><p>The investigation centers on the Shark’s late-game comeback against the Jiangsu Dragons. Leading the contest by a score of 100-96 with less than two minutes remaining in regulation, the Dragons would conveniently go on to commit five consecutive turnovers which led to a 10-point advantage for Shanghai. They eventually would go on to win by a final score of 108-104 to clinch the best-of-four series 2-1 and, in turn, were slated to advance to the quarter-finals.</p><p>However, with the accusation of game-fixing, Eric Bledsoe, Michael Beasley, and the Shanghai Sharks have officially been disqualified from the CBA playoffs.</p><p>Along with this, the head coaches and general managers from both ball clubs were <a href="https://twitter.com/legionhoops/status/1647940753677754369?s=46&amp;t=Sj2_3fh_1QMNq_LR68xtdg" rel="noopener">banned from the CBA and significantly fined</a>, as per a Tweet by Legion Hoops.</p><p>This is yet another investigation into suspicions regarding widespread corruption in Chinese sports, with the Associated Press noting that China’s “top-flight professional soccer league” was “particularly hard-hit” for said suspicions.</p><p>The Sharks ended their season with the fifth-best record in the league at 26-16 and accumulated the most points scored with 4,470.</p><p>For the two former NBA studs, Eric Bledsoe would finish off his first season with Shanghai boasting averages of 17.6 points, 6.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.6 steals through 29 games played while Michael Beasley held averages of 11.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks in four games.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Eric Bledsoe, Michael Beasley’s Chinese basketball team disqualified for fixing playoff games

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/eric-bledsoe-arrested-domestic-violence-right-after-agreeing-play-china/');   ga('set', 'title', 'Eric Bledsoe arrested for domestic violence right after reportedly agreeing to play in China');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Eric_Bledsoe_arrested_for_domestic_violence_right_after_agreeing_to_play_in_China.jpg"></figure><h1>Eric Bledsoe arrested for domestic violence right after reportedly agreeing to play in China</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-10-27T08:50:58-07:00">October 27th, 8:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-10-27T09:26:44-07:00">October 27th, 9:26am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt has been an editor at ClutchPoints since 2018. He also covers the Bulls for Forbes and SB Nation's Blog a Bull. In addition, he co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network. If you couldn't tell, he's from Chicago.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Reports emerged Wednesday that former NBA star Eric Bledsoe had agreed to a deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. Hours later, Bledsoe was arrested for domestic violence, <a href="https://www.tmz.com/2022/10/27/ex-nba-eric-bledsoe-arrested-domestic-violence-allegedly-slapped-girlfriend/?adid=social-tws" rel="noopener">according to TMZ</a>.</p><p>The TMZ report states police received a call about a domestic incident at a residence in Lost Hills, California. The victim claimed she had been slapped by her boyfriend. The result was Bledsoe getting arrested on a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.</p><p>Bledsoe was bonded out of the Lost Hills Sheriff’s station after getting booked.</p><p>Eric Bledsoe’s girlfriend took to Instagram with a photo that appeared to show a red mark on her face, though she ultimately deleted the post.</p><p>“NO RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS IS EVER WORTH STAYING IN,” the post’s caption stated, per TMZ. “Domestic violence is real! This wasn’t the first time but I sat here and stayed so it’s my fault!! ERIC BLEDSOE really is a monster.”</p><p>Eric Bledsoe played last season for the Los Angeles Clippers, averaging 9.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.4 rebounds in 25.2 minutes per game. It was his second stint with the Clippers after starting his NBA career there in 2010. He has also played for the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks and New Orleans Pelicans.</p><p>Bledsoe was unable to secure another NBA deal in the offseason and was reportedly preparing to head to the CBA. It’s unclear what’s next for Bledsoe after this arrest.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Eric Bledsoe arrested for domestic violence right after reportedly agreeing to play in China

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', '2 teams that must still sign Eric Bledsoe in 2022 NBA free agency');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Eric-Bledsoe-Warriors-Hornets-Bucks-Mavericks.jpeg"></figure><h1>2 teams that must still sign Eric Bledsoe in 2022 NBA free agency</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-24T13:02:09-07:00">July 24th, 1:02pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-24T13:20:20-07:00">July 24th, 1:20pm</time><address><a>Sam DiGiovanni</a>Marist College '22 | earned my stripes at TheKnicksWall.com and CenterFieldMarist.com</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Eric Bledsoe remains available in 2022 <a href="http://fanatics.93n6tx.net/gbAzR2" rel="noopener">NBA</a> free agency. The 32-year-old was a key rotation player for the LA Clippers last season before injuring his left Achilles tendon, getting traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and missing the rest of the season.</p><p>Plenty of teams make sense for Bledsoe. The Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks could all use another veteran option off the bench. On those squads, though, Bledsoe would be competing with a lot of other players for backup minutes.</p><p>The best fits for Bledsoe are teams that are gunning for the playoffs. His career is on its last legs, so he should spend the rest of his playing days trying to win his first championship. To prove he <a href="https://youtu.be/9FwNxdiKXhA?t=102">does have muscles for a reason</a>, he should look for a prominent bench role on a playoff team.</p><p>In 25.2 minutes per game last season, Bledsoe averaged 9.9 points, 4.2 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals while shooting 42.1 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from deep. To maximize both him and a lineup in the best way possible, a team with a strong sixth man and/or collection of bench scorers would be his best bet.</p><p>The veteran point guard can <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-paul-george-fires-back-at-critics-of-eric-bledsoe-la-teammates/">still contribute</a> at a decent level but will need the right supporting cast to make him a truly valuable rotation piece on a minimum contract. Here are the two teams that should sign Eric Bledsoe in free agency.</p><p><b><i>*Watch NBA Games LIVE with fuboTV (<a href="https://www.fubo.tv/stream/nba/?irad=356361&amp;irmp=492408">click for free trial</a>)*</i></b></p><h2><b>Eric Bledsoe 2022 NBA free agency destinations</b></h2><p><b>2. Charlotte Hornets</b></p><p>The Hornets need both a backup point guard and some help on defense. Bledsoe is the perfect free agent who is still available to satisfy both of those needs.</p><p>As a backup for LaMelo Ball, Bledsoe would just have to be a solid defensive presence. After the Hornets relied on Isaiah Thomas for more offense off the bench last season, they should consider leaning into a different direction for their reserves.</p><p>Bledsoe would have Kelly Oubre Jr. and potentially James Bouknight to lean on when facing bench units. He would get to focus on defense and playmaking while playing limited minutes. Even in spot minutes next to Ball when the Hormets need some more defense, Bledsoe could work.</p><p>Charlotte will always run through Ball but still need to find someone reliable to play behind him. Bledsoe has the talent to be just that, at least for this upcoming season.</p><p><b>1. Golden State Warriors</b></p><p>Although other teams may have bigger roles for Bledsoe, the Warriors are the best fit for the veteran guard. They have a spot in their rotation that he has a good shot to claim and would be one of the best teams to chase a ring with.</p><p>Golden State has a need for another bench guard following Gary Payton II leaving in free agency. Bledsoe would fill their need for a defensive guard, even though he most likely wouldn’t be as impactful as Payton.</p><p>The Warriors would easily be able to cover up Bledsoe’s offensive shortcomings because they have Jordan Poole, whose electric scoring made him a dangerous scorer off the bench last season. They also have Donte DiVincenzo to help on perimter defense.</p><p>Golden State could use more bench pieces as they look to repeat as champions. Bledsoe could become a solid defensive option for the Dubs’ strong defense.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2 teams that must still sign Eric Bledsoe in 2022 NBA free agency

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Blazers make major Eric Bledsoe decision ahead of $19.375 million guarantee date');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Eric-Bledsoe-Blazers-Damian-Lillard.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers make major Eric Bledsoe decision ahead of $19.375 million guarantee date</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-07-06T08:09:36-07:00">July 6th, 8:09am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-07-06T08:10:28-07:00">July 6th, 8:10am</time><address><a>Quinn Allen</a>Quinn Allen is a freelance sports journalist and full-time editor for ClutchPoints. He specializes mainly in soccer, basketball, and baseball. When Quinn isn't producing content for CP, he's writing predictions across the European soccer and NBA world for bettors at Sports Betting Dime, one of the fastest-growing sports betting sites in North America.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Before Eric Bledsoe even played a single game for the Portland Trail Blazers, he’s already gone.</p><p>The team has decided to waive the point guard ahead of his $19.3 million guaranteed date which is quickly approaching. <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1544690217604579330">Via Shams</a>:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Portland Trail Blazers plan to waive guard Eric Bledsoe ahead of his guarantee date approaching, sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@TheAthletic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Stadium?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@Stadium</a>. Entering his 13th NBA season, several teams are expected to pursue Bledsoe as a free agent.</p><p>— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1544690217604579330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 6, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Eric Bledsoe came over to the Blazers in the Norman Powell/Robert Covington trade at the deadline in March with the Los Angeles Clippers and was shut down by Portland due to an Achilles injury. The franchise was in rebuild mode at the time anyway, therefore it made no sense for the 13-year veteran to play.</p><p>In 59 games last season for the Clippers, he averaged 9.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in just over 25 minutes per night. As Shams noted, there will be no shortage of interest in Bledsoe. He’s a capable starter in any backcourt and can even come off the bench as a solid second unit piece.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-2-moves-portland-still-must-make-after-first-weekend-2022-nba-free-agency/">The Blazers</a> clearly believe in the Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons combo and they’ve also managed to bring in some intriguing additions to help their case, including Jerami Grant, Gary Payton II, and lottery pick Shaedon Sharpe, who has the potential to turn into a star.</p><p>Eric Bledsoe has now played for five different teams in his NBA career since coming into the league in 2010 out of Kentucky. He started with the Clippers before a long stint in Phoenix, eventually moving onto the Milwaukee Bucks where he served as their starting PG before the Jrue Holiday trade. He also spent a year with the New Orleans Pelicans.</p><p>It will be interesting to see where he ends up this summer.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers make major Eric Bledsoe decision ahead of $19.375 million guarantee date

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', '3 best trade destinations for Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LA-sends-Rajon-Rondo-Patrick-Beverley-to-Memphis-for-Eric-Bledsoe-in-shock-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>3 best trade destinations for Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-15T08:53:36-08:00">January 15th, 8:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-15T08:53:36-08:00">January 15th, 8:53am</time><address><a>Mike Cruz</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard has yet to suit up this season and is still recovering from a torn ACL. To add to their misfortune, Paul George reportedly <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-rumors-paul-georges-injury-could-force-him-to-miss-rest-of-season/">could be done for the year</a>. With their two stars sidelined indefinitely, the upcoming February 2022 trade deadline could be a critical time for the Clippers. A fire sale of assets may very well occur in LA. One Clipper that could find himself in numerous trade rumors is point guard Eric Bledsoe.</p><p>Bledsoe’s second stint with the Clippers has not gone the way they expected. The 32-year-old’s production has waned down. It certainly does not help that his inconsistency as a shooter makes him an outdated guard in today’s NBA.</p><p>Nonetheless, there are teams out there that could still use added guard depth and the former Kentucky Wildcat could be a possible target for them. With that, here are the three best trade destinations for Eric Bledsoe.</p><h2>3 trade destinations for Eric Bledsoe</h2><p><b>1. Cleveland Cavaliers</b></p><p>The Cleveland Cavaliers are still reeling from Ricky Rubio’s season-ending torn ACL. The injury has dampened their spirited campaign quite a bit as they looked to make a return to the playoffs for the first time since 2018.</p><p>Cleveland acquired veteran point guard Rajon Rondo from the Los Angeles Lakers recently. But the Cavaliers could still be in the market for more guard depth to help Darius Garland in the backcourt. Enter Eric Bledsoe.</p><p>Bledsoe is by no means a Rubio replacement. But he is still a capable veteran that could provide some of the playmaking and defense the Spaniard brought to the table.</p><p><b>2. Toronto Raptors</b></p><p><a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2952391-paul-george-injury-could-dictate-la-clippers-direction-at-trade-deadline">Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report</a> suggested the possibility of LA trading for Toronto Raptors guard Goran Dragic. The Clippers would then be sending back Bledsoe and perhaps one or two of their seven second-round picks in a possible deal for the Slovenian guard.</p><p>Dragic is technically a Raptor, but he’s nowhere near Canada or part of Toronto’s plans moving forward. With that, the Raptors could send him to the Clippers, get some picks, and add guard depth with Bledsoe in the process.</p><p>Behind Fred VanVleet, Toronto doesn’t really have any reliable backup point guard. The 12-year vet is an upgrade over someone like Malachi Flynn, who isn’t really getting consistent minutes this <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/los-angeles-clippers/schedule">season</a>. Bledsoe, who has proven to be a solid defender throughout his career, could acclimate himself well to Raptors coach Nick Nurse.</p><p>If it doesn’t work out</p><p><b>3. Portland Trail Blazers</b></p><p>The Portland Trail Blazers are in a freefall right now. With Damian Lillard undergoing surgery that will sideline him for six to eight weeks, Portland will likely miss the playoffs for the first time in eight years.</p><p>The Blazers seem to be headed more toward the lottery than winning a championship with their current roster construction. For a team trending in the wrong direction, it doesn’t make sense for Portland to be paying luxury tax bills.</p><p>That’s why more than anything, trading for Bledsoe would be a financial move for the Blazers. Lillard’s looming extension is another decision they need to make, but that’s a story for another day.</p><p>As Fischer noted in his article, Bledsoe is only guaranteed to make $3.9 million next season. The organization could save some money next season by not guaranteeing the 6-foot-1 guard his $19.3 million salary in 2022-23.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 best trade destinations for Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe (aka Mini LeBron) reacts to upset vs. Kevin Durant, Nets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Eric-Bledsoe-Kevin-Durant-LeBron-James-Clippers-Nets.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe (aka Mini LeBron) reacts to upset vs. Kevin Durant, Nets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2022-01-02T06:50:45-08:00">January 2nd, 6:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2022-01-02T06:53:41-08:00">January 2nd, 6:53am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a>Tomer Azarly is in his sixth season as the LA Clippers beat writer for ClutchPoints. From the Lob City era to the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, he brings you everything you need to know about the Clippers.In his off time, Tomer likes to play basketball, video games, and draw.You can follow his Twitter for all Clippers content below:</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Times Square in New York City is the place to be to celebrate the end and beginning of a new year. If you wanted to see one of the greatest performances of the season that same day, all you had to do was travel down to Brooklyn and watch the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a> defeat <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/kevin-durant/" rel="noopener">Kevin Durant</a>‘s  <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/nets/" rel="noopener">Nets</a>, led by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/eric-bledsoe/" rel="noopener">Eric Bledsoe</a>.</p><p>Down 11 players, including five starters, and their head coach in <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/tyronn-lue" rel="noopener">Tyronn Lue</a>, the Clippers defeated the Nets 120-116 on the second night of a New Year’s back-to-back set. Bledsoe finished with an all-around line of 27 points, three rebounds, four assists, three steals, and two blocks.</p><p>It was the type of performance that brought flashbacks to Bledsoe’s previous days with the Clippers, when the younger and more explosive guard was nicknamed ‘Mini LeBron’ by then-teammate Jamal Crawford.</p><p>“I guess it’s a cool nickname,” Eric Bledsoe said following a 2012 win over LeBron James’ Miami Heat, <a href="https://www.espn.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/51549/bledsoe-living-up-to-mini-lebron-alias" rel="noopener">via ESPN</a>. “[LeBron] actually called me that when we left the court. He did. He said, ‘This is Baby LeBron.’”</p><p>For the second time in the last three games, Bledsoe scored 10 points in the fourth quarter to lead his Clippers to a road win. The first time was in Boston on Wednesday night, and the second came Sunday against Brooklyn. The 12th year guard has found a good rhythm the last few weeks, and it’s come at a time when the Clippers have needed him most.</p><p>In the last five games he’s started for the Clippers, Bledsoe is averaging 19.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and 2.2 steals per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field, 50 percent from three, and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. LA has won three of the five games he’s started.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eric Bledsoe in his last 5 games as a starter (Clippers are 3-2):</p><p>19.2 points<br>3.8 rebounds<br>6.2 assists<br>2.2 steals</p><p>49.3% FG<br>50% 3PT<br>83.3% FT <a href="https://t.co/QLtpZPUP0M" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/QLtpZPUP0M</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1477497802150215684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The team has had at least one member enter health and safety protocols following each of their last seven games. Eric Bledsoe is hoping that he can continue his good rhythm as guys start to come back.</p><p>“We still gotta implement some pieces that we’re missing, so that’s kinda forcing me and Reg to look to be more aggressive,” Bledsoe said. “We still got PG out, Marcus out, so we just gotta figure it out when those guys come back. So that’s kind of playing a big factor and like you said, I’m having the ball in my hands a lot more than I was so that plays a big factor to it.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"It's been happening to us all year. Zu went down. Marcus went down earlier, Reg. It's been happening to us all season. It's just giving other guys opportunities to show they can help us moving forward."</p><p>Eric Bledsoe on winning despite missing so many players. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clippers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Clippers</a> <a href="https://t.co/M9R0seyzHO" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/M9R0seyzHO</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1477480523710664707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>How did the Clippers, who had $121.5 million in salary on the sidelines Sunday, defeat a team led by Kevin Durant and James Harden?</p><p>“I mean, it’s basketball,” Bledsoe said. “We love to play this game, we love to go out there and compete. Everybody wanna compete at a high level. Especially guys that’s getting an opportunity to prove that they belong in this league like Wenyen, James, Justise, Xavier. The list goes on. They did a great job of coming in and fighting and keeping the lead sustainable.</p><p>“We fought. We fought. Next man up mentality and I think everybody did a great job playing together. They got a great team over there. I think Kevin just got back, so they’re thing to figure it out. It’s a perfect game where they’re trying to figure it out, we could play with energy, pace, and pride.”</p><p>Kevin Durant wasn’t happy with his teams performance, going off on them for lacking the right energy and mindset coming into it.</p><p>“We relaxed too much,” Durant explained. “We get up 10, then miss a layup or turn the ball over and they get a fast break. Give up a three, straight line drive. Like coach said, we didn’t deserve to win this game. We came in here with a fucked up attitude to start, thinking we was just gonna walk into a W.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"We didn't deserve to win this game. We came in here with a fucked up attitude to start, thinking we was just gonna walk into a W."</p><p>Kevin Durant on loss to shorthanded Clippers. <a href="https://t.co/le2zGhrYnL" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/le2zGhrYnL</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1477503376128503809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 2, 2022</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Clippers are probably happy they won’t have to see the Nets again, but they do face a tough road ahead (quite literally). They’ll face playoff teams in each of their next five games, and that’s before they go out on an eight game, 14-day road trip to close out the month.</p><p>Eric Bledsoe can only help so much. The Clippers need to get healthy, and they need to do it quickly if they’re to maintain their pace in in the ever-competitive Western Conference.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe (aka Mini LeBron) reacts to upset vs. Kevin Durant, Nets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Paul George fires back at critics of Eric Bledsoe, LA teammates');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Clippers-Paul-George-Eric-Bledsoe.jpeg"></figure><h1>Paul George fires back at critics of Eric Bledsoe, LA teammates</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-11-06T05:58:53-07:00">November 6th, 5:58am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-11-06T05:59:21-07:00">November 6th, 5:59am</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a> won their third game in a row on Friday night, defeating the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/timberwolves/" rel="noopener">Minnesota Timberwolves</a>, 104-84. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/paul-george/" rel="noopener">Paul George</a> had been carrying the team offensively over the first few games of the season, but it was the other Clippers who came to his aid in the win over Minny.</p><p>Paul George finished with his fourth double-double of the season with 21 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, and three steals, but shot just 4-of-20 from the field. While he was unable to connect on 16 of his 20 field goal attempts, George did get to the line 14 times on the night, making 13 of those.</p><p>He did have four other Clippers score in double figures including Reggie Jackson (20 points), Ivica Zubac (14 points, 14 rebounds), Terance Mann (13 points, 6 rebounds), and Nicolas Batum (12 points, eight rebounds).</p><p>Unfortunately, Eric Bledsoe has continued to struggle shooting the basketball. Through eight games, Bledsoe has shot just 35 percent from the field, and that includes his 22-point game in the season opener on 10-of-16 shooting. Since then, it’s been seven straight sub-37 percent for the guard out of Kentucky.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The steal and the finish.</p><p>📺 <a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportWest?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@BallySportWest</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/EBled2?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@EBled2</a> <a href="https://t.co/hZO36ciWJ7" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/hZO36ciWJ7</a></p><p>— LA Clippers (@LAClippers) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAClippers/status/1456778018383224833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 6, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bledsoe didn’t shoot the ball well again on Friday night, just 2-of-13, but did do a lot of the little things elsewhere on the court that helped his team spark. His nine points were the fewest among Clippers starters, but he was able to add five rebounds, four assists, and three steals in his 29 minutes of play.</p><p>After trailing 49-29 with about five minutes remaining in the first half, the Clippers turned the switch on led by Bledsoe’s activity. Their attention to detail was heightened by a few levels and the communication between one another was impossible to miss. The Clippers trailed by 10 at halftime and outscored the Timberwolves, 57-27, in the second half to win by 20.</p><p>“I think you saw glimpses of where we can be most effective with Bled,” <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1456833504734416902" rel="noopener">Paul George said of Bledsoe</a>. “Where he can get it, he can take advantage of his speed, his ability to put pressure on the team to have to run back, load up. I think he’s starting to find his way through that.”</p><p>Bledsoe’s inability to shoot has messed with some of the spacing in the Clippers’ starting lineup. Through the first eight games, the starting guard has made just three of his 27 three-point attempts. That doesn’t bother Paul George and the rest of his teammates.</p><p>“Again, we all love having Bled out there on the floor with us. He brings so much. I don’t care about his shooting. I don’t care if he’s struggling. He does stuff that boxscore doesn’t show. You know, he just plays hard. He does all the right things. It’s a long season. He’s going to find his way, he’s going to give us shots.”</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I don't think people are understanding how hard it is for someone to come into a new system… We all love having Bled out there on the floor with us. I don't care about his shooting. He does stuff that box scores don't show."</p><p>Paul George on Eric Bledsoe. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Clippers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#Clippers</a> <a href="https://t.co/3CPefDYANh" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/3CPefDYANh</a></p><p>— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomerAzarly/status/1456833504734416902?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">November 6, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>George also did well to remind everyone that the guard is only a month into his new role in a new system for a new team.</p><p>“It’s hard. I don’t think people are understanding how tough it is for someone to come into a new system and is being expected to have a large role and to bring, you know, what he’s great at. It’s hard to kind of find yourself, find your way.”</p><p>While Eric Bledsoe continues to try and find his way through the season, Ivica Zubac appeared to have a little coming-out party that everyone has been waiting on. Zubac finished with 14 points, 14 rebounds, two steals, and a number of altered shots at the rim that his one block on the boxscore doesn’t reflect.</p><p>George had a little message for the big man as well following his impressive, two-game handling of center Karl-Anthony Towns.</p><p>“I told him tonight, from now on, there’s no going back,” Paul George added of his conversation with Ivica Zubac. “There’s no more — you get a rebound and you rip that away. I don’t care if you hurt somebody in the process, you rip that ball and you own that ball. You saw that tonight. I was proud of him, I was proud of him, especially it’s an athletic team and he owned his space and he was a dominant presence on the boards, so I was very proud of Zu tonight.”</p><p>The Clippers will travel back home for a Sunday afternoon matchup against LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. A win would get them over .500 for the first time all season. Sunday’s game also marks the first of a six-game home-stand, which includes matchups against the Portland Trail Blazers, Miami Heat, Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls, and San Antonio Spurs.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Paul George fires back at critics of Eric Bledsoe, LA teammates

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', '3 ways the Grizzlies improved after trading Eric Bledsoe');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/download-12.jpg"></figure><h1>3 ways the Grizzlies improved after trading Eric Bledsoe</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-19T17:35:08-07:00">August 19th, 5:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-19T17:35:42-07:00">August 19th, 5:35pm</time><address><a>Kousha Kangarloo</a>Based in Washington D.C., Kousha Kangarloo loves playing sports (basketball, volleyball, football, golf and tennis) and working out. He loves music (Calvin Harris, Wu-Tang Clan, The Strokes), traveling bothdomestically and internationally, and he enjoys a good stand-up comedyshow. Lastly, he really enjoys outdoor recreation (hiking, biking,paddle boarding, etc.) and he absolutely nerds out about James Bond,Star Wars, Marvel, True Detective, and Jurassic Park.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Trying make a big leap in the Western Conference <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/memphis-grizzlies/news">standings next season,</a> the Memphis Grizzlies have had an active start to their offseason. First trading away Jonas Valancunias to the Pelicans in exchange for Steven Adams, and <a href="https://trojanswire.usatoday.com/2021/06/01/usc-trojans-in-the-nba-deanthony-melton-gives-memphis-grizzlies-big-scoring-punch-vs-utah-jazz/">now they’ve acquired</a> Rajon Rondo and Daniel Oturu for Eric Bledsoe.</p><p>This was a great trade for the Grizzlies to make because Bledsoe had no desire to play for them and they needed another guard and center.  These moves also play into Memphis’ continued plan to get as much help as possible for franchise superstar Ja Morant. With all this said, let’s take a look at the three ways the Grizzlies vastly improved their roster after the Eric Bledsoe trade with the Clippers.</p><h2><b>Rajon Rondo will help Ja Morant to develop with Grizzlies </b></h2><p>With the Grizzlies entering the trade market aggressively during the 2021 NBA offseason, they’ve made the addition of another key veteran in Rajon Rondo. Rondo makes for an ideal backcourt mate to Ja Morant and can provide him with mentorship and veteran leadership throughout the entirety of the 2021-22 NBA season. This will be huge for Memphis, especially considering how much Morant’s game elevated this past year that showcased his All-Star ceiling.</p><p>Hard to find a better partner-in-crime for Morant than a two-time NBA champion and an All-Star caliber point guard. As one of the best floor general’s the game’s ever seen, Rondo will undoubtedly make everyone around him better and give the Grizzlies an electric starting lineup that will climbs the ranks of the Western Conference and make for a potential upset threat in the playoffs. With the addition of Rondo, the Grizzles vastly improve their backcourt and give Ja Morant the perfect veteran to complement his game.</p><h2><b>Grizzlies gained frontcourt depth by trading Eric Bledsoe </b></h2><p>Ridding themselves of Eric Bledsoe allowed the Grizzlies to gain a quality back-up center in Daniel Oturu. This was a solid addition for them because after adding Steven Adams as their new starting center, they were still lacking a reliable back-up. Adding Oturu also gives the Grizzlies a young center who can grow and develop on a playoff contender that will look to contend for a title sometime in the near future.</p><p>Granted he didn’t play a ton minutes last season and doesn’t have mind blowing stats, but he’s got decent size and length and the Grizzlies hard-nosed defensive style can transform him into a rebounding and blocking machine in due time. This will also give Adams some relief when he needs a breather throughout the season.</p><h2><b>Grizzlies now have a balanced starting lineup </b></h2><p>After successfully pulling off a couple of solid trades, the Grizzlies currently bode a starting five of Ja Morant, Rajon Rondo, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Steven Adams. This is a line-up that could definitely do some damage come playoff time next season and increase their chances of a surprise postseason run.</p><p>With this perfectly balanced line-up of youth, athleticism, and savvy veteran play, Memphis will definitely be a tough out for whoever they come across during the first round of the 2022 NBA Playoffs. This is of course assuming that they survive the play-in tournament, but with this line-up at their disposal it’s hard to imagine them missing out on the postseason.</p><p>Especially now that Morant will be learning the ropes from playoff Rondo and Adams will form one of the best frontcourts in the league with Jackson Jr. and Brooks. Come next year’s playoff race, teams should definitely watch out for this up-and-coming Memphis Grizzlies squad because they are not to be taken lightly.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 ways the Grizzlies improved after trading Eric Bledsoe

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', '3 things Eric Bledsoe immediately brings to Kawhi-less Clippers');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Eric-Bledsoe-Kawhi-Leonard-Paul-George-Clippers.jpeg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>3 things Eric Bledsoe immediately brings to Kawhi-less Clippers</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-17T15:18:20-07:00">August 17th, 3:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-17T15:20:22-07:00">August 17th, 3:20pm</time><address><a>Tomer Azarly</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Monday, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/clippers/" rel="noopener">LA Clippers</a> officially completed their trade to acquire <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/eric-bledsoe/" rel="noopener">Eric Bledsoe</a>. The trade sent <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/patrick-beverley/" rel="noopener">Patrick Beverley</a>, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/rajon-rondo/" rel="noopener">Rajon Rondo</a>, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/tag/daniel-oturu/" rel="noopener">Daniel Oturu</a> to the Memphis Grizzlies. It was a move that was highly criticized for sending fan favorite Beverley away, but there are some positive to take out of the deal that brings the former Clippers guard back to where he started his career a decade ago.</p><p>Here are four things that Eric Bledsoe will bring to the new-look franchise:</p><p><b>1. Downhill Pressure</b></p><p>With Kawhi Leonard expected to miss most of the season as he recovers from surgery on his partially torn ACL, the Clippers have a desperate need for ball-handing and a guy to put pressure on the rim.</p><p>The Clippers thrived last season because of the drive-and-kick offense that head coach Tyronn Lue implemented. Reggie Jackson’s rise to stardom in the playoffs likely isn’t replicable over the course of an 82-game season, but the Clippers will be able to rely on him to put pressure on the rim. With him expected to start, that’s where Eric Bledsoe comes in.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eric Bledsoe can help, he can still get to the rim and mix things up </p><p>The 3 ball will come and go…he won’t be asked to do much <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ClipperNation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">#ClipperNation</a> </p><p> <a href="https://t.co/WTt3AyYUM5" target="_blank">pic.twitter.com/WTt3AyYUM5</a></p><p>— ClipperTalk (@ClipperTalk) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClipperTalk/status/1427428095464665128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 17, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Bledsoe is at his best in transition leading the break. As one of the speedier guards in the NBA, he’ll bring a pace that the Clippers tried to bring with Jackson and Rajon Rondo last season. He, however, is a good finisher around the rim and has the physical attributes to be able to score through contact.</p><p><b>2. Bench Playmaking/Scoring</b></p><p>With Reggie Jackson expected to start this season, the Clippers are going to need another scoring option off the bench. By trading two guards and keeping Luke Kennard despite his name being thrown around in rumors, the Clippers have committed to he and Terance Mann. The belief that both players can take the next step will only be aided by a guy like Eric Bledsoe.</p><p>Last season, Bledsoe had his worst scoring year since his third season in the NBA (coincidentally, with the Clippers). Most of that has to do with how the New Orleans Pelicans used him. Alongside Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball, Bledsoe was relegated to mostly a catch-and-shoot role. That’s simply not where he excels.</p><p>With this team, Bledsoe will likely have the reigns to the second unit that’ll feature Kennard, Serge Ibaka, and Justise Winslow. The ball will be in his hands a lot to make things happen for himself and his teammates. That’s where he’s at this best, and Tyronn Lue will ensure that he’s in the best possible position to succeed.</p><p><b>3. Luxury Tax Relief</b></p><p>Along with his ball-handling and and rim pressure, Eric Bledsoe’s arrival also brings the Clippers luxury tax relief. In a year they likely won’t be competing for an NBA Championship, do the Clippers really need to pay tens of millions in unnecessary luxury tax?</p><p>According to Bobby Marks, the Clippers will see their tax bill drop $30 million, from $125 million to $95 million.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cap ramifications for LAC/MEM:</p><p>LAC<br>🏀Eric Bledsoe: $18.1M and $19.4M ($3.9M GTY)<br>💰LAC will see their tax bill drop from $125M to $95M (savings of $30M)<br>💰$8.3M TE for LAC</p><p>MEM<br>🏀Patrick Beverley: $14.3M<br>🏀Rajon Rondo: $7.5M ($750K likely bonus)<br>🏀Daniel Oturu: $1.5M</p><p>— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1427066273444270082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>While the move does save the Clippers money, I’m not entirely sure this move was made for financial reasons. Sure, it may be an added ‘cherry on top’ kind of move, but the Clippers needed a ball-handler to take the loads off of Paul George and Reggie Jackson. Bledsoe is that guy.</p><p>It just so happens he’ll earn $18.1 million this upcoming season while only having $3.9 of his $19.4 million contract guaranteed for next season. Worst case scenario, the Clippers don’t like what they see from Bledsoe or the fit and the they could waive him with little repercussions. They could also just trade him as an expiring next offseason.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 things Eric Bledsoe immediately brings to Kawhi-less Clippers

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'The real reason Clippers traded Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo for Eric Bledsoe');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/image_2021-08-16_135015.png"></figure><h1>The real reason Clippers traded Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo for Eric Bledsoe</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-15T23:05:56-07:00">August 15th, 11:05pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-15T23:05:56-07:00">August 15th, 11:05pm</time><address><a href="https://medium.com/@rpsalao">R.P. Salao</a>Check out my best stuff on Medium - medium.com/@rpsalao.I also post quality NBA YouTube content - tinyurl.com/SalaoYouTube.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Los Angeles Clippers just traded away two of their veteran point guards for another veteran point guard. Patrick Beverley and Rajon Rondo are headed to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for familiar face in Eric Bledsoe.</p><p>On its surface, it’s sort of puzzling for why the Clippers would do this deal. Beverley and Rondo aren’t game-changers by any means, but they certainly made an impact on their squad.</p><p>Eric Bledsoe feels like a marginal upgrade, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/clippers-news-patrick-beverleys-5-word-reaction-to-shocking-trade-to-grizzlies/">if even one at all</a> from Beverley. They bring a lot of the same strengths to the table, but Beverley’s three-point accuracy fit right into the Clippers’ trigger-happy offense. Bledsoe meanwhile is a below-average three-point shooter and has had a horrible track record in the postseason thus far.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eric Bledsoe is a career 25% shooter from deep in the playoffs.</p><p>The Clippers did not get better with this move at all.</p><p>— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) <a href="https://twitter.com/joeylinn_/status/1427063335019704323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>But the thing is, the Clippers might not even make the postseason given the extent of Kawhi Leonard’s ACL injury. That’s why the true heart of the deal for LA lies in its salary cap ramifications.</p><p>The deal saves the Clippers <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/32030624/sources-la-clippers-acquiring-eric-bledsoe-memphis-grizzlies-patrick-beverley-rajon-rondo-daniel-oturu">about $30 million in luxury tax penalties</a> and also scores them a traded player exception worth over $8 million that they can use to absorb another contract down the line.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cap ramifications for LAC/MEM:</p><p>LAC<br>🏀Eric Bledsoe: $18.1M and $19.4M ($3.9M GTY)<br>💰LAC will see their tax bill drop from $125M to $95M (savings of $30M)<br>💰$8.3M TE for LAC</p><p>MEM<br>🏀Patrick Beverley: $14.3M<br>🏀Rajon Rondo: $7.5M ($750K likely bonus)<br>🏀Daniel Oturu: $1.5M</p><p>— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1427066273444270082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Clippers swung a savvy move that could help them down the line. And who knows, maybe Eric Bledsoe’s return to Los Angeles sparks a career renaissance? After all, we’ve just seen it happen with Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The real reason Clippers traded Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo for Eric Bledsoe

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'BREAKING: Clippers, Grizzlies agree to 4-player Eric Bledsoe trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/LA-sends-Rajon-Rondo-Patrick-Beverley-to-Memphis-for-Eric-Bledsoe-in-shock-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>BREAKING: Clippers, Grizzlies agree to 4-player Eric Bledsoe trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-08-15T17:47:54-07:00">August 15th, 5:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-08-15T18:12:18-07:00">August 15th, 6:12pm</time><address><a>Angelo Guinhawa</a>Angelo Guinhawa is a basketball and soccer/football editor/writer. He uses his background in digital marketing to make sure you get to read his work. He has previously worked for FOX Sports PH and a number of reputable sports media outlets. If he's not writing or watching sports, he's likely scouring online for his next NBA card purchase.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>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.</p><p><a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1427061342016610304" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a> 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.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">The Grizzlies, with an already packed roster, are open-minded on the futures of all three players in Memphis — and will likely consider trades with some of those arriving in this deal. Memphis gets salary cap flexibility in the summer of 2022 with trade.</p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1427065149085659137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>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 <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1427066273444270082" rel="noopener">Bobby Marks of ESPN</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Cap ramifications for LAC/MEM:</p><p>LAC<br>🏀Eric Bledsoe: $18.1M and $19.4M ($3.9M GTY)<br>💰LAC will see their tax bill drop from $125M to $95M (savings of $30M)<br>💰$8.3M TE for LAC</p><p>MEM<br>🏀Patrick Beverley: $14.3M<br>🏀Rajon Rondo: $7.5M ($750K likely bonus)<br>🏀Daniel Oturu: $1.5M</p><p>— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) <a href="https://twitter.com/BobbyMarks42/status/1427066273444270082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">August 16, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>It was already Eric Bledsoe’s <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/grizzlies-rumors-eric-bledsoe-could-be-on-the-move-again-after-trade-from-pelicans-to-memphis/" rel="noopener">second trade this offseason</a> 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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

BREAKING: Clippers, Grizzlies agree to 4-player Eric Bledsoe trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Eric Bledsoe could be on the move again after trade from Pelicans to Grizzlies');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/eric-bledsoe.jpeg"></figure><h1>Eric Bledsoe could be on the move again after trade from Pelicans to Grizzlies</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-26T15:00:51-07:00">July 26th, 3:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-26T15:00:51-07:00">July 26th, 3:00pm</time><address><a>Michael Corvo</a>Los Angeles Lakers beat reporter and writer for ClutchPoints. Aspiring Shane Falco. NYC native, LA resident, USC grad. Tennis Fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Eric Bledsoe was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-news-pelicans-acquire-jonas-valanciunas-from-grizzlies-in-blockbuster-trade-with-steven-adams-eric-bledsoe/">traded</a> to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday, but he’s not expected to stay in Memphis for very long. According to Yahoo’s Chris Haynes, Bledsoe will soon be on the move, once again.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Eric Bledsoe, who New Orleans included in a trade package, is not expected to stay in Memphis, league sources tell <a href="https://twitter.com/YahooSports?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">@YahooSports</a>.</p><p>— Chris Haynes (@ChrisBHaynes) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisBHaynes/status/1419769446499971074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The 31-year old guard was part of the package the New Orleans Pelicans sent to the Grizzlies in exchange for veteran center Jonas Valanciunas. The Pelicans also traded center Steven Adams, the No. 10 and No. 40 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft, and a top-1o protected 2022 first-round pick (via the Lakers). Memphis also sent the No. 17 and No. 51 picks in Thursday’s draft to New Orleans.</p><p>According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Pelicans are attempting to free up cap space to either match an offer for restricted free agent Lonzo Ball or spend on another free agent veteran point guard (Kyle Lowry?) to pair with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">New Orleans creates salary cap space for August that allows them to either match an offer sheet on Lonzo Ball, or have the cap space to pursue a significant free agent point guard, including Kyle Lowry and others. Pels liked Valanciunas as floor spacer at center over Adams, too. <a href="https://t.co/3YRyBTEg1S" target="_blank">https://t.co/3YRyBTEg1S</a></p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1419757450924789761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The Grizzlies have a handful of quality young players in their backcourt, including Ja Morant, Desmond Bane, D’Anthony Melton and Grayson Allen.</p><p>Bledsoe largely struggled in his lone season in New Orleans, averaging 12.2 points and 3.8 assists per game — his lowest marks since 2013. He put up .421/.341/.687 shooting splits over 71 games.</p><p>Bledsoe was traded to the Pelicans prior to the 2020-21 season after spending two-plus seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks also sent four first-round picks to New Orleans for Jrue Holiday, who just helped Milwaukee secure its first NBA championship in 50 years.</p><p>Bledsoe has two years remaining on the four-year, $70 million deal he signed in 2019. <a href="https://twitter.com/NBACrouse/status/1419774092690042882">According to one report</a>, the Philadelphia 76ers could be a possible landing spot for Bledsoe.</p><p>Eric Bledsoe has played for the Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Bucks, and Pelicans in his 11-year career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Eric Bledsoe could be on the move again after trade from Pelicans to Grizzlies

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pelicans acquire Jonas Valanciunas from Grizzlies in blockbuster trade for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/NBA-news-Pelicans-acquire-Jonas-Valanciunas-in-blockbuster-deal-for-Steven-Adams-Eric-Bledsoe-thumbnail.jpeg"></figure><h1>Pelicans acquire Jonas Valanciunas from Grizzlies in blockbuster trade for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-26T13:40:52-07:00">July 26th, 1:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-26T13:48:35-07:00">July 26th, 1:48pm</time><address><a>Matt Wadleigh</a>Matthew Wadleigh was born and raised in Oceanside and resides in Fresno. He lives with his wife and two dogs. He is a huge Southern California sports fan and a retired member of the Fresno State drumline.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The NBA Draft is just a few days away and now we officially have our first blockbuster trade of the offseason. The Memphis Grizzlies are sending Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans for Steven Adams and Eric Bledsoe, according to<a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1419756065625972747?s=20"> Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. </a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">BREAKING: Memphis is finalizing a trade to send Jonas Valanciunas and 2021 Nos. 17 and 51 picks to New Orleans for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe, 2021 picks Nos. 10 and 40 and a protected 2022 first-round pick via the Lakers, sources tell ESPN.</p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1419756065625972747?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>The deal also includes a pair of NBA draft picks going both ways with the Los Angeles Lakers 2022 first headed to the Grizzlies.</p><p>In turn, the Pelicans have appeared to create cap space for free agency as they look to pair Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram with a bonafide point guard.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">New Orleans creates salary cap space for August that allows them to either match an offer sheet on Lonzo Ball, or have the cap space to pursue a significant free agent point guard, including Kyle Lowry and others. Pels liked Valanciunas as floor spacer at center over Adams, too. <a href="https://t.co/3YRyBTEg1S" target="_blank">https://t.co/3YRyBTEg1S</a></p><p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1419757450924789761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">July 26, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>As Woj points out, the Pelicans are attempting to sign Lonzo Ball to a big offer sheet and want to do anything they can to bring a point guard to New Orleans, with Kyle Lowry mentioned as another option.</p><p>The Pelicans fired Stan Van Gundy and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-currys-5-word-reaction-to-willie-green-coaching-zion-williamson/">brought in</a> Willie Green as their new head coach, and perhaps more roster shakeups are on the way as they find anything possible to bring the pairing of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson back into the playoffs.</p><p>The NBA Draft<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nba-draft-news-cade-cunningham-reveals-legend-made-him-fall-love-basketball/"> is coming</a>, and more trades should shape out within the next few days. This is just one of many more to take place.</p><p>Stay tuned.</p><p> </p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pelicans acquire Jonas Valanciunas from Grizzlies in blockbuster trade for Steven Adams, Eric Bledsoe

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'RUMOR: Pelicans nearing eject button on Eric Bledsoe via Grizzlies trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Pelicans-Eric-Bledsoe-Grizzlies.jpg"></figure><h1>RUMOR: Pelicans nearing eject button on Eric Bledsoe via Grizzlies trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-07-25T10:56:34-07:00">July 25th, 10:56am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-07-25T10:57:24-07:00">July 25th, 10:57am</time><address><a>Johnny Recks</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly exploring possible options for unloading veteran guard Eric Bledsoe <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/pelicans-rumors-new-orleans-expected-to-pursue-kyle-lowry-in-free-agency/">off their books</a>, including one that will have him play alongside Ja Morant with the Memphis Grizzlies,  according to <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2946349-nba-draft-week-brings-urgency-to-trade-talks-latest-ben-simmons-buzz">Jake Fischer of <i>Bleacher Report</i></a>:</p><blockquote>Sources said the Pelicans have generated traction with the Grizzlies in a framework that would swap that 10th selection for the 17th pick while also sending Eric Bledsoe back to Memphis.</blockquote><p>Bledsoe has a significant hit on the Pelicans’ salary situation. He is due to be paid $18.125 million in the upcoming 2021-22 NBA season and $19.375 million in the season after that — the last on his current deal. </p><p>The Pelicans have not been getting the value of the money they have riding on Bledsoe, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/new-orleans-pelicans/roster">arrived</a> in New Orleans in November 2020 via a convoluted four-team trade that involved the Milwaukee Bucks, Denver Nuggets, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.</p><p>Bledsoe played 71 games last season in Pelicans threads and averaged <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/sports/nba/players/eric-bledsoe/ae1b09a1/stats">12.2 points</a> on 42.1 FG% and 34.1 3FG% while dishing out just 3.8 assists per contest.</p><p>For the Grizzlies, Bledsoe could be a nice addition to the team’s backcourt, but he can’t expect to take over it with Morant welded into the leadership role for Memphis. The Grizzlies don’t have spacious financial legroom, but it could create some more space by electing not to pick up the team option on Justise Winslow, which is worth $13 million.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

RUMOR: Pelicans nearing eject button on Eric Bledsoe via Grizzlies trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jrue Holiday must take that Eric Bledsoe mask off for Bucks to beat Nets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/eric_th.jpg"></figure><h1>Jrue Holiday must take that Eric Bledsoe mask off for Bucks to beat Nets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-06-11T12:43:10-07:00">June 11th, 12:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-06-11T12:46:56-07:00">June 11th, 12:46pm</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Milwaukee Bucks knew they had to make a big change after suffering an embarrassing playoff defeat in the bubble. With Giannis Antetokounmpo’s supermax decision coming up, the status quo simply wasn’t working and a bold move was needed to secure the signature of the two-time MVP. The Bucks got <i>real</i> bold by trading a boatload of assets for Jrue Holiday to be an upgrade over Eric Bledsoe, who had become an offensive liability when it mattered.</p><p>It was an overpay for Holiday, who’s a terrific two-way player but not a superstar-level player like Anthony Davis. The trade package included three first-round picks and two first-round pick swaps, making the draft compensation similar to the Davis trade (good for the New Orleans Pelicans). Still, Milwaukee had to shoot its shot, so the team went for it and was ultimately okay with going all in.</p><p>Holiday enjoyed a stellar regular season with the Bucks and played a key role in sweeping away the Miami Heat in Round 1. However, the soon-to-be 31-year-old has looked more like Bledsoe so far against the Brooklyn Nets, with his game-winning layup in Game 3 salvaging what had been an atrocious offensive performance to that point.</p><p>Holiday had just nine points on 4-of-14 shooting in Game 3 and is at 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game in the series. His shooting percentages sit at 39.5% from the field and 30.8% from 3-point range. For the playoffs, his shooting numbers are Bledsoe-esque:</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jrue Holiday's shooting as a Buck in the playoffs:<br>44-25-60 (49.21 TS%)</p><p>Eric Bledsoe's shooting as a Buck in the playoffs: <br>41-25-73 (49.4 TS%)</p><p>— Josh Eberley🇨🇦 (@JoshEberley) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshEberley/status/1403175690632003588?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">June 11, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Jrue Holiday is a better player than Eric Bledsoe when you set aside the shooting thanks to his defense and playmaking prowess, but the Bucks didn’t give up all that draft capital for a marginal upgrade. They acquired Holiday to be a legitimate difference-maker at point guard, and he needs to be a lot better if Milwaukee is going to come back in this series and stun the mighty Nets.</p><p>This doesn’t mean Holiday has to come out and score 25 points per game on high efficiency. That’s just not really his game, though he did do it once against the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2018 playoffs. But the veteran guard needs to at least get up to around 20 points per game (at minimum) and start hitting some 3-pointers while running a cleaner offense. The Bucks have looked way too discombobulated offensively in this series, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/giannis-antetokounmpo-needs-to-stop-shooting-so-many-damn-3s/" rel="noopener">and while that’s not all on Holiday</a>, he needs to bring more to the table.</p><p>We’ll see how Jrue Holiday performs in a crucial Game 4 against the Nets on Sunday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.9	3.4	4.2	0.4	1.3

2021-22 SEASON STATS
PTS	REB	AST	BLK	STL
9.9	3.4	4.2	0.4	1.3

Eric Bledsoe news

Eric
Bledsoe news