Why the fate of the Trail Blazers’ rebuild hinges on the Clippers-Pelicans play-in game

Only one playoff spot remains out West and the New Orleans Pelicans and LA Clippers are getting ready to go to battle for it. The irony? Their postseason fates are about to be decided by a bunch of guys who wore the same uniform a couple of months ago.

CJ McCollum, Larry Nance Jr., Robert Covington and Norman Powell were all in Portland back in February, stuck in the mud for a Trail Blazers organization that was mired in NBA mediocracy — a team consistently not good enough to make a push for the playoffs, but not bad enough to make the draft lottery.

Portland made sure it wouldn’t miss out on a top pick this year, shipping McCollum and Nance to New Orleans while Powell and Covington went to the Clippers.

All parties have had success.

The Pelicans, behind McCollum, are a win away from their first playoff appearance since 2018. Both Powell and Covington are combining to make the Clippers a potentially tough first-round matchup if they can get by New Orleans. And the Blazers completed a shameless tank in order to keep their upcoming first-round draft pick

But the bigger success comes in the form of the eighth and final playoff spot. Besides watching former Blazers go toe-to-toe for a postseason spot, there’s surprisingly a lot of rooting interest in this game for the Blazers.

Should the Clippers win, Portland will receive an additional first-round pick (via New Orleans), but if the Pels win, the pick stays with them.

Who could have known just how much power a couple of February trades would ultimately have on the league?