Four NBA teams shook up the league with a blockbuster deal involving 12 different players, the most in any single trade since Patrick Ewing was shipped to the Seattle SuperSonics in 2000.
The Houston Rockets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks agreed to a deal that will send Clint Capela and Nene to the Hawks, Robert Covington and Jordan Bell to Houston, Noah Vonleh to Denver and Malik Beasley to Minnesota. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Denver will also receive Shabazz Napier, Keita Bates-Diop, Gerald Green and Houston’s 2020 first-round pick while the Wolves also add Jarred Vanderbilt, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner and a protected first-rounder.
ESPN Sources: 4-team trade agreement: Houston: Robert Covington; Atlanta: Clint Capela and Nene; Minnesota: Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernangomez, Evan Turner, ATL 1st round pick via Nets; Denver: Gerald Green, Houston FRP.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2020
Minnesota's Keita Bates-Diop is going to Denver in deal, source tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2020
More players in the deal: Denver's Jarred Vanderbilt is on his way to Minnesota, league sources tell ESPN. Jordan Bell to Houston.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2020
So Denver fortifies its bench with G Shabazz Napier and F Noah Vonleh with losses of Beasley and Hernangomez. Denver will be active until Thursday's deadline at 3 PM ET.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 5, 2020
Though the deal is a complex one, it does fill holes for some of the teams involved. The Hawks finally get the franchise center they had been after in Clint Capela while Minnesota gets some bench help in Malik Beasley and also receives a first-rounder which should help their rebuilding roster.
However, even though the Rockets were already looking to offload Capela, shipping him away along with three other assets for a 30-year-old Robert Covington is an interesting decision. Covington is certainly one of the better perimeter defenders in the NBA and should be capable of fitting in seamlessly to Houston’s three point-happy offensive system. But the loss of Capela leaves a gaping hole at the center position, one that the Rockets front office reportedly believes can be filled by PJ Tucker long-term.
Houston’s small-ball lineup has worked in stretches, including their last five games in which Capela has sat out with a heel injury. Whether this works in the Western Conference playoffs against the likes of Anthony Davis, Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert and Montrezl Harrell remains to be seen, however. In the aftermath of this historic transaction, expect a few more deals to take place before the trade deadline this Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.
