NBA Trade: Clint Capela to Hawks, Robert Covington in Houston

Four NBA teams swapped 12 players late Tuesday night, making the biggest trade transaction in the last 20 years. The biggest news from it is that Clint Capela ended in Atlanta Hawks and that Robert Covington became Houston Rockets’ player.

The Texas-based franchise also got Minnesota’s F Jordan Bell and a 2024 second-round pick via Golden State.

The Hawks acquired Capela, and the other big man from Houston, Nene Hilario, the Brazilian veteran.

Minnesota received Evan Turner from Hawks and Jarred Vaderbilt from Nuggets.

Denver got Minnesota’s G Shabazz Napier, F Keita Bates-Diop, Noah Vonleh, and Rockets’ Gerald Green, who will almost certainly be waived.

FULL TRADE DETAILS:

Hawks receive:
Clint Capela
Nene

Rockets receive:
Robert Covington
Jordan Bell
2nd-round pick

Timberwolves receive:
Malik Beasley
Jarred Vanderbilt
Juancho Hernangomez
Evan Turner
Draft picks

Nuggets get:
Jordan Bell
Shabazz Napier
1st-round pick

& more.

— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) February 5, 2020

Although it might be a huge trade, only a few players mentioned here will have an actual impact on their teams.

Covington will find his place among the Rockets, as another three-point shooter with solid defense. Now, according to many, the Rockets will have one more trade until the deadline, as they need to chase some center who will replace Capela. They have $12 million free in the salary cap, and it will probably be used to lure some veteran who is eager to have his shot at the title.

Minnesota pulled out from talks with the Warriors regarding D’Angelo Russell. However, with the current situation, they do have a solid trade potential and could try to make another run for some big trade. When saying big, we mean to exchange Andrew Wiggins and some of these guys and to make changes on the roster, which could potentially improve this franchise.

After years of struggling and recording noting but failures, the Timberwolves management has to react and use KAT’s talent, otherwise, he will decide to leave sooner or later.

As for the Nuggets, their objective is known throughout the league – Jrue Holiday. It seems that with this trade, they were preparing the terrain for the last push. Denver has incredible depth in almost all positions, and they are willing to sacrifice some of it in order to reach the Pelicans’ point guard.

With him, Michael Malone not only gets the All-Star caliber playmaker but also, one of the best defenders in the league on his position. Both Murray and Jokic would get help in organizing the attacks, and also be more comfortable on the defensive side of the court.

And finally, the ultimate winners in this trade are the Hawks, as they got what they wanted. An athletic center who has unreal physicalities and can track the high-paced style of play Atlanta has.

In 2016 he signed a five-year deal worth $80 million and seemingly justified those figures. At the moment, Capela is averaging 13.9 points and 13.8 boards per game since the start of this campaign.

Mike D’Antoni believes that he can play without him, while on the other side, the Hawks didn’t want to miss a chance to land the 25-year old in their nest.

With him on board, Atlanta has one of the youngest and the most promising teams in the entire league, which could easily become competitive in the battle for the highest places in the Eastern Conference.