NBA 2020-21: 5 Offseason trades that have not worked out so far

#3 Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers

Robert Covington #23 of the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Portland Trail Blazers gave up veteran Trevor Ariza, a 2021 first-round draft pick, and draft rights from the 2020 NBA Draft to acquire Robert Covington from the Houston Rockets.

The former NBA All-Defensive player was expected to have an impact on the Blazers with his 3-and-D approach. However, he has not been shooting the ball well and is currently the ninth-worst 3-point shooter (in terms of percentage) in the NBA 2020-21 season (among qualified shooters) with 30.6%.

Covington is underachieving on offense (he has made 35% of his three-pointers in his career) and is also posting the worst Defensive Rating of his career so far with a 113 grade.

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#2 Josh Richardson to the Dallas Mavericks

Josh Richardson #0 of the Dallas Mavericks.

The Dallas Mavericks traded Seth Curry to the Philadelphia 76ers in order to acquire Josh Richardson and the draft rights to Tyler Bey (picked in the second round.

Initially, the trade was subject to criticism because the Mavs shipped one of the most efficient three-point shooters in the NBA, who also had the highest 3P percentage among active players.

The other part of the trade, that has really hindered Dallas, is that Richardson has underperformed so far. In the first five seasons of his NBA career, Richardson averaged 12 points per game and made 36% of his threes. In the current season, he is averaging 12.8 points per game but has made just 30% of his three-point attempts.

On defense, Richardson has not helped the Mavs, and their current 10-14 record (second-worst in the West) has a lot to do with the team's inability to stop the opposition from scoring. Richardson is posting the worst Defensive Rating of his career so far (117) in the NBA 2020-21 season.

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#1 Russell Westbrook to the Washington Wizards

Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards.

The Washington Wizards swapped a big contract for another humungous contract when they shipped John Wall to the Houston Rockets for Russell Westbrook. Though shipping Wall has not really hurt Washington, the team has found success by pairing the former MVP with the current best scorer (statistically) in the NBA, Bradley Beal.

The Wizards traded for Westbrook on December 2nd, 2020, and they gave up Wall and their 2023 first-round pick. They did not overpay for securing Westbrook's playmaking and contagious energy, which will never be in question, but the former MVP has not been efficient so far.

Westbrook has never been particularly efficient in the NBA (apart from last year, when he made 47% of his field goals). Though he has five Triple-Doubles in 13 games with Washington and is making a career-high 36% of his three-pointers, Westbrook has made just 41% of his field goals (lowest since his rookie season).

He is averaging 20 points per game (lowest since his sophomore season in the NBA) and the Wizards are 2-11 in Westbrook's 13 appearances.

Westbrook's main issue has been his defense, as he currently has the worst Defensive Rating of his career (116).

Even though his Defensive Rating is bad and the Wizards have not benefitted hugely from the trade, it is shocking that Russ' Defensive Rating is tied for the best among the team's starters with Deni Avdija!

The Wizards are simply bad defensively (they are ranked 29th out of the 20 NBA teams). However, Westbrook and Beal are hugely talented and they may turn things around in Washington.

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