The 2019-20 NBA trade deadline is on Thursday. However, on Wednesday, there was a four-team blockbuster deal between the Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, Houston Rockets and Atlanta Hawks according to nba.com.
The principal players involved in the deal were Clint Capela of Geneva, Switzerland and Robert Covington of Bellwood, Illinois. Covington was traded from the Timberwolves to the Rockets and Capela was moved from the Rockets to the Hawks. Other players who were moved in the trade were center Jordan Bell (Minnesota to Houston), Nene Hilario (Houston to Atlanta), Keita Bates-Diop (Minnesota to Denver), Shabazz Napier (Minnesota to Denver), Noah Vonleh (Minnesota to Denver), Gerald Green (Houston to Denver), Malik Beasley (Denver to Minnesota), Juancho Hernangomez (Denver to Minnesota), Jarred Vanderbilt (Denver to Minnesota), and Evan Turner (Atlanta to Minnesota).
There were also some draft picks involved as well. Houston receives Atlanta’s second pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Denver gets Houston’s first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft and Minnesota gets Atlanta’s first pick (via Brooklyn) in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Capela is a 6’10”, 240 pound center, who has played his entire six year NBA career with the Rockets. In 2019-20, he had 13.9 points per game and a career high 13.8 rebounds per game. Over the last three seasons, Capela has been averaging a double double. He averaged a career high 16.6 points per game in 2018-19 and led the NBA in field goal percentage at .652 in 2017-18.
Covington is a 6’7″, 210 pound forward who is returning to Houston. He played his rookie season with the Rockets in 2013-14, before playing five seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers and two with the Timberwolves. He is averaging 12.8 points per game in 2019-20. Covington has been averaging double figures in points in each of the last six seasons. He averaged a career high 13.5 points per game with Philadelphia in 2014-15.
