Craig Lassig/Associated Press
Calling all sellers, buyers and curious offer-listeners of the NBA world.
Trade deadline week is here, so you all have between now and 3 p.m. ET on Thursday to finalize your transactions and exit basketball’s biggest swap market before closing time.
Early forecasts for the last days of #TradeSZN call for a quiet market. Only a handful of teams are truly out of the playoff hunt, and motivations are scarce for those teams to willingly self-destruct. The upcoming free-agent class is thin. The incoming crop of draft prospects looks underwhelming. Even if all normal fire-sale conditions are in place, external factors could lead some to decide to sit this out.
Of course, sleepy prognostications are often followed by frenzied action. Deadline time can be funny like that.
No matter where the week heads from here, we’ll keep you clued in on all the latest whispers and rumblings bouncing around the rumor mill.
Timberwolves Want Multiple Picks for Robert Covington
David Zalubowski/Associated Press
Who could use another three-and-D wing? In today’s NBA, probably all 30 teams, right?
That seems to be the Minnesota Timberwolves’ rationale in seeking out a substantial return for swingman Robert Covington. They want not one but two first-rounders in a RoCo deal, per Marc Stein of the New York Times.
In any negotiation, it’s worth opening with an ambitious ask, and maybe that’s all this is. But with less-than-flattering feedback on the upcoming draft, perhaps picks won’t be valued like normal.
For a role player, Covington should command extensive interest. Three-and-D players could actually be relabeled as Covington types. Since 2014-15—his first season as a rotation player—he has buried the 15th-most triples and ranks 14th among non-centers in defensive win shares.
He’s also on a reasonable contract through 2021-21, so it’s not as if Minnesota is asking for multiple picks for a rental. Still, it’s a big ask for a non-star, and our crystal ball isn’t convinced anyone will pay it. He has a clear (and maybe robust) market—with the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers at the forefront, per Stein—and this seems like the Wolves’ attempt to maximize the return.
Rockets Talking Clint Capela Trades
Whenever the trade market seems like it could be silent, at least we can all count on Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to liven things up.
With the club appearing more good than great—tied for ninth in winning percentage, eighth in net efficiency—and James Harden not getting any younger, the Rockets could use an upgrade. But after extending Eric Gordon (and thus making him unmovable before the summer) and the Association reworking Nene’s contract (and thus making him less impactful as a trade chip), Houston’s hands could’ve been tied.
Morey had other ideas.
The Rockets are “actively discussing several trade scenarios” involving Clint Capela, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported. Houston has examined multiteam possibilities that could fetch draft assets, which it later plans to convert into “an impact wing player.” If a Capela deal (and maybe more deals after that) goes down, the Rockets want to walk away from the deadline with both a wing and a center.
The 25-year-old rim-runner might have universal appeal, at least among those seeking frontcourt prospects. He offers either plug-and-play potential for win-now shoppers or enough youth (and contract security) to entice rebuilders.
Is Capela enough of an upgrade for the Boston Celtics to rethink their stance on not moving a core player? Did the Atlanta Hawks just find their alternative to an Andre Drummond gamble? Capela will surely have suitors, and if the Rockets acquire the right trade chips, maybe they just found their path to Robert Covington, Marcus Morris or Andre Iguodala.
High Price Tag on Derrick Rose
Carlos Osorio/Associated Press
Want your team to get involved in the Derrick Rose sweepstakes? It’ll cost a hefty price.
Detroit covets “a lottery-level first-round pick” for the former MVP, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
That would have been a laughable request in recent seasons, as a rash of injuries kept the scoring guard on the sideline. He hasn’t played 67-plus games since 2010-11. Oh, he also exited Sunday’s tilt with groin soreness, so health concerns are far from quieted.
Still, any team with a backcourt opening and an itch for offense has to give a look. The 31-year-old is posting personal bests in points per 36 minutes (25.2) and true shooting percentage (56.4)—yes, superior marks to his MVP season. He’s also signed at a reasonable rate for this season ($7.3 million) and next ($7.7 million), so he should fit most any budget.
That said, a lottery pick seems an ambitious ask, if only for the fact that most win-now buyers can’t supply one. Would the Pistons settle for the top-20 protected pick the Philadelphia 76ers could supply (via the Oklahoma City Thunder)? Or how about a prospect, like 24-year-old Michigan native Kyle Kuzma? Both the Sixers and Los Angeles Lakers have eyes on Rose, per Yahoo Sports’ Chris Haynes.
Active Week for the Warriors?
With Kevin Durant long gone and both Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson shelved by the injury bug, the Golden State Warriors have spent much of this season in the shadows.
That could change this week.
An NBA finalist each of the past five years, the Dubs are suddenly sellers under this new reality. The rentals they acquired in hopes of contending for the crown could instead assist someone else’s championship run. As Marc Stein of the New York Times reported, “Golden State is widely expected to trade Alec Burks and/or Glenn Robinson III this week.”
But those might be the appetizers. Stein also relayed the Warriors “are listening to pitches” involving D’Angelo Russell, a player the Minnesota Timberwolves have coveted since the summer.
Russell made his All-Star debut last season, and he has upped his scoring average since. More impressively, his shooting rates haven’t fallen with the increased volume or the lack of offensive assistance around him.
It still feels most likely the Warriors would punt this decision to the summer, since they could package the point guard with what will be an early draft pick for a potentially massive return. But maybe this signals other intentions for that selection. Or perhaps this is simply a willingness to keep an ear open in case anyone makes an absurd offer.
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