The Timberwolves, Hawks, Rockets, and Nuggets pulled off a late night stunner. A 4-team trade to really kick things off as the NBA trade deadline inches closer. In a super complicated deal here are the details.
The trade was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski:
Robert Covington Jordan Bell, and a second-round pick to Houston
Clint Capela and Nene to Atlanta
Malik Beasley, Juan Hernangomez, Evan Turner, Jarred Vanderbilt, and Brooklyn’s 2020 first-round pick (from Atlanta) to Minnesota
Gerald Green, Keita Bates-Diop, Shabazz Napier, Noah Vonleh, and Houston’s 2020 first-round pick to Denver.
Let’s break this down piece by piece. Houston is the big winner here. I think Robert Covington is a bit overhyped, but he’s a huge upgrade over Clint Capela. RoCo gives Houston another version of PJ Tucker. Real defense, 3-point ability, and another high functional wing player.
It was clear that when Capela went down with a foot injury, Houston was a much better team. The Rockets were 9-1 without their former center and had a better offensive and defensive rating. This was a no brainer by the Rockets. Picking up Jordan Bell to play some small ball 5 makes sense too.
The Hawks have to be the biggest loser. What are they doing? Atlanta is one of the few teams with cap space this summer. They just pissed some of it away for Capela. The Hawks are 13-38. Why are they giving up a first round pick here? What was the point of all of this? Travis Schlenk doesn’t have a damn clue what he’s doing.
The T-Wolves collect a first round pick for Covington and pick up some pieces along the way. Probably should have gotten even more for eating Evan Turner. Malik Beasley is a nice pickup but they will have to pay him in the summer. I think they did okay.
I would say the Nuggets are the quiet winner. Picking up a first round pick for Malik Beasley was a win. They had no realistic way to pay him in the upcoming summer. Replenishing a first round pick was smart business. They also improved the bench. Hernangomez and Vanderbilt aren’t worth anything. Vonleh and Shabazz can give them production off the bench. Keita Bates-Diop is also a great gamble. Big guy that can shoot. Don’t ask me why Minnesota gave him away.
*This trade is breaking news! Details are still dropping. Refresh the page for updates!
