Phoenix Suns Receive: F Robert Covington, POR 2026 2nd Round Pick, POR 2027 2nd Round Pick
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F Cameron Johnson, F Jalen Smith, PHX 2025 2nd Round Pick
If the Portland Trail Blazers look to move Robert Covington in the offseason, it will likely be because they want to free up some cap space to have the ability to potentially re-sign Norman Powell, Enes Kanter and/or Zach Collins. Powell is expected to receive offers for $20M+ a year, which is why if the Blazers truly want to keep him, they will need as much cap space as they can free up.
In this deal with the Suns, they not only free up about $4M in cap space, but they get two young talents who could either be appealing for the Blazers to keep long-term, or give them the flexibility to play and then trade some of the other players on their roster to free up cap space.
Now in his second season with the Suns, Cameron Johnson has stepped into a bigger role off-the-bench and has proven he can be a force offensively. In just over 20 minutes per game this season, Cam Johnson is averaging 9.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and is shooting an impressive 38.2% from three-point range.
At an affordable price and on a rookie contract, Johnson could not only fill some of the minutes left behind by Covington, but be a young player that can contribute to Portland for years to come. The same can be said for Jalen Smith, who was the 10th pick in the draft this past year by the Suns.
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Phoenix really likes what they have in their young talents and will likely hold off on making any drastic changes like this to their young core, but if they want a player like Robert Covington, they will have to free up cap space and be willing to part ways with some valuable assets like Johnson and Smith.
Now, let’s take a look at if this trade truly makes sense for both the Trail Blazers and the Suns since both teams will be looking to contend for a championship this year and moving forward.
