On a night that another blockbuster swap went down in MLB, the first deal prior to the NBA trade deadline on Thursday went down — and it was a big one.
As part of a massive four-team deal, athletic big man Clint Capela will be heading to the Atlanta Hawks and sharpshooting swingman Robert Covington will be going to join the Rockets in Houston.
In the rest of the deal, the Rockets will get Jordan Bell, the Hawks will get Nene Hilario, the Timberwolves will get Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez, Evan Turner, Jarred Vanderbilt and Brooklyn’s 2020 first-round pick via Atlanta and the Nuggets will get Gerald Green, Noah Vonleh, Shabazz Napier, Keita Bates-Diop and a future first-round pick from Houston.
In Covington, one of the most coveted pieces before the deadline thanks to his skillset and relatively low salary, the Rockets have another player who can stretch the floor who, unlike most of the pieces on Houston’s roster, can actually play defense. It’s a bold move as the Rockets no longer have a proven center on their roster, but Houston general manager Daryl Morey will likely try to add a veteran in a deal or sign someone that gets bought out.
In Capela, the Hawks get a versatile center who should be able to play well with their athletic young core of Trae Young, John Collins, and Kevin Huerter. Also, even though Atlanta is out of the postseason hunt this season, the acquisition of Capela is a sign to their fans and their roster that the Hawks are serious about competing sooner rather than later.
For the Nuggets and Timberwolves, the deal doesn’t have a huge impact on either of their teams this year as the players they moved and received are largely second and third-stringers with minimal value. That said, the first-round pick the Timberwolves received in the deal may help them in their pursuit of Golden State point guard D’Angelo Russell.
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