Sixers’ Trade Acquisition From Clippers Reveals He’s Back to Work

Former Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers veteran Robert Covington is back to work.

Oct 29, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers forward Robert Covington (23) and forward Kenyon Martin Jr. (6) are introduced before playing against the San Antonio Spurs at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

When the Philadelphia 76ers struck a late October blockbuster trade with the Los Angeles Clippers last season, they landed a handful of veteran role players to work with.

One of the players in the package happened to be Robert Covington, who played a chunk of his career with the Sixers before.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse managed to find minutes for every player received in the trade. It was evident one or two of those players could be shipped out again at a later date. For a brief period heading into the trade deadline, Covington’s name floated around.

When the trade deadline passed, Marcus Morris was the only former Clipper to get dealt. Covington, along with KJ Martin and Nic Batum, stuck on the Sixers for the remainder of the 2023-2024 season.

Unfortunately, Covington struggled to have an impact during his second stint with the Sixers. Mainly because he battled with a knee injury throughout the year.

When the regular season concluded, Covington had appeared in 26 games, averaging 16 minutes off the bench. He produced five points and three rebounds per game, making 45 percent of his field goals and shooting 35 percent from beyond the arc.

When the playoffs rolled around, Covington was inactive for the six-game series against the New York Knicks. Since the final weeks of the 2023-2024 NBA season, there hasn’t been much of an update on Covington’s health. A recent post from the veteran forward reveals he’s back to work.

Robert Covington is back on the court! pic.twitter.com/Ai0lLdZRD9

— Harrison Grimm (@Harrison_Grimm) August 3, 2024

With August here, Covington’s future remains unclear. Once the new league year started, Covington became a free agent. The Sixers made many moves in free agency to take care of the newly-vacant roster spots, but re-signing Covington wasn’t in the cards.

There is still room on Philly’s roster, and the Sixers plan to make at least one more move before training camp. With a need at forward, Covington’s name shouldn’t be crossed off. However, his injury history could leave interested suitors concerned.

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If Covington can prove his notable setback from last season won’t be an issue, he has enough experience to hold value to a playoff contender. Since 2013, Covington has appeared in 614 games. Over that time, he averaged 11 points and six rebounds, knocking down 36 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

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