Clippers Updated Lineup, Salary Cap After Trade for Norman Powell, Robert Covington

The Los Angeles Clippers reportedly shook up their rotation Friday by acquiring Norman Powell and Robert Covington in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Clippers sent Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson and the Detroit Pistons' 2025 second-round pick to Portland in the deal.

Here's a look at L.A.'s updated depth chart with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George sidelined by injury:

• PG: Reggie Jackson
• SG: Amir Coffey, Luke Kennard
• SF: Norman Powell, Terance Mann
• PF: Robert Covington, Marcus Morris Sr., Nicolas Batum
• C: Ivica Zubac, Isaiah Hartenstein, Serge Ibaka

It's a deal that does come with a financial cost as the Clippers' luxury-tax bill increases from $93.9 million to $112.9 million, per ESPN's Bobby Marks.

Word of the trade comes after head coach Tyronn Lue didn't signal much optimism about the potential availability of Leonard and George for the remainder of this season after Thursday night's win over the rival Los Angeles Lakers.

"We know Kawhi's probably not gonna come back," Lue told reporters. "We don't know the status of PG, but these guys continue to keep fighting. Every single night."

He added: "I don't know. I'm not a doctor. But hope is stronger than fear. So I'm hoping that these two guys can come back. But you never know."

Leonard has yet to play this season while recovering from a torn ACL, while George has been sidelined since Dec. 22 because of an elbow injury.

The Clippers (27-27) have remained competitive despite those high-profile absences, and it appears that gave the front office enough reason to push further into the luxury tax in order to upgrade the roster.

As it stands, the ideal scenario for L.A. is finding a way to climb inside the Western Conference's top six—it's currently eighth, 2.5 games behind the sixth-seeded Denver Nuggets—to avoid the play-in tournament and hope either Leonard, George or both are able to return for the playoffs.

While it sounds like a long shot at this stage, if somehow the Clippers roster returns to full strength in time for the postseason, they should emerge as a true title contender.

In the short term, the additions of Powell and Covington should provide a nice boost. Here's the numbers they put up this season with the Blazers:

• Powell: 18.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists in 40 games
• Covington: 7.6 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.5 steals, 1.3 blocks in 48 games

The first chance to make their Clippers debut will come Sunday at home against the Milwaukee Bucks.