LA Clippers Acquire Eric Bledsoe From Memphis Grizzlies for Rajon Rondo, Patrick Beverley Trade
Eric Bledsoe #12 of the Los Angeles Clippers awaits a free throw against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center on March 7, 2013 in Denver, Colorado. The Nuggets defeated the Clippers 107-92. Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

The Memphis Grizzlies and Los Angeles Clippers have agreed to a trade that will send veteran point guard Eric Bledsoe back to the city of angels in exchange for Patrick Beverley, Rajon Rondo, and Daniel Oturu, sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Memphis Grizzlies to Los Angeles Clippers

According to HoopsRumors, the latest trade included a three-for-one swap that would help generate some roster flexibility for the Clippers team that had already been carrying 16 players on fully guaranteed contracts.

Los Angeles Clippers would now have 14 players on guaranteed deals, plus Yogi Ferrell, who was on a non-guaranteed salary.

By swapping out players like Beverley, who is at $14.32 million, Rondo at $8.25 million, and Oturu at $1.52 million in exchange for Bledsoe with a salary of $18.13 million, the LA Clippers would save some money on a tax bill that was projected to be worth $125 million.

Based on ESPN's Bobby Marks, the recent projection would dip the tax bill to about $95 million. Marks added that due to the fact that only Beverley and Oturu were required for salary-matching purposes, the LA Clippers would generate a trade exception worth Rondo's $8.25 million salary.

An Easier Job for Grizzlies' Front Office

The three outgoing players for the Clippers were all on expiring contracts, while Bledsoe is on a pseudo-expiring deal. His $19.38 million salary for 2022/23 is only partially guaranteed for $3.9 million.

Even though the Clippers sacrificed a little depth in the trade, Bledsoe was a bounce-back candidate who the Clippers expected to provide the team with some of the play-making and defense lost by trading Beverley and Rondo.

Bledsoe had a down year with the Pelicans in 2020/21, but he averaged 5.5 assists per game during his stint in Milwaukee from 2018-20 and where he earned All-Defensive team nods in both seasons under Bucks uniform.

On the other hand, the Memphis Grizzlies would save a little 2022/23 money in the deal after taking on some extra salary for 2021/22. Memphis currently faced a roster crunch of its own, with 17 players in the organization who were under fully guaranteed contracts.

Based on Wojnarowski, the Memphis Grizzlies would be "open-minded" in weighing additional roster moves that could involve Beverley, Rondo, and even Oturu. The Grizzlies were targeting to flip one or more of them in separate deals to solidify their roster for the upcoming season.

Since all the players received by the Grizzlies were on smaller expiring deals, Beverley and Rondo trade would be easier for the Grizzlies to move, especially in subsequent trades compared to Bledsoe.

Bledsoe, who started his NBA career with the Clippers back in 2010, was traded from New Orleans to Memphis earlier in the offseason as a part of a salary dump deal that also sent center Steven Adams to the Memphis Grizzlies.

At the time of the agreement, there was a report indicating that Bledsoe was unlikely to remain in Memphis, but it was initially unclear if the plan was to trade him or buy him out.

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Written by: Jess Smith

WATCH: Eric Bledsoe traded to Clippers; Pat Beverley, Rajon Rondo headed to Grizzlies - From CBS Sports HQ