Houston Rockets: 3 teams that could trade for Clint Capela

The Houston Rockets are looking to make some changes this year, including potentially sending away some of their role players. What teams would be in the market for a young center?

The Houston Rockets are shaking things up a bit this offseason. While most of the summer so far has been about whether or not to re-sign Mike D’Antoni and the firing of his assistant coaches, what has garnered the most attention is the potential moves to be made.

A few days ago, it was reported that the Rockets would be likely to trade one of their main role players away, either Eric Gordon, P.J. Tucker or Clint Capela. The team is likely to go into next season without one of those guys.

Considering that the Rockets are possibly looking to extend both Tucker and Gordon, Clint Capela is the logical choice as a trade candidate and would be able to get the most in return. He is a young center who has plenty of potential and a good contract, he just isn’t playable against a team like Golden State, who Houston wants to beat the most.

Let’s look at a few teams that could trade for the center:

Boston Celtics

The Celtics are a team that was rumored just yesterday to have interest in Clint Capela and his services. They have young talent for days over there in Boston that could interest Houston, but I don’t know how much of it they would be willing to deal.

The Rockets could also use Capela as a trade piece in a bigger deal and take a chance on a guy like Gordon Hayward on his second year of a large contract. He didn’t fit particularly well in Boston but has shown star power in the past. The Rockets could hope he improves like Paul George did in the second year after a gruesome leg injury.

Atlanta Hawks

Another team that the Rockets should consider trading with is the Atlanta Hawks. They are a young and on the rise team that could use a center like Capela in pick-and-rolls with Trae Young for the foreseeable future.

They could offer a combination of good role players and young talent/draft picks. Rockets fans have eyed Kent Bazemore for years, and he could be a big part of that deal. The Hawks also own three (!) first-round picks in this upcoming draft, which Houston could use or trade away in a bigger deal.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings are looking to upgrade their center position this offseason. Capela might be a guy they look at if they strike out with some of the bigger-named free agents. They currently have Willie Cauley-Stein there, who has shown flashes of being a solid player in the league.

The Rockets could get a package that includes Cauley-Stein and others in a potential deal with the Kings. This certainly isn’t the most exciting of the three but is a possibility and could provide some cap relief.

No matter what, sticking with Clint Capela for the future wouldn’t be a bad decision by the team. They shouldn’t make a deal unless it absolutely makes the Rockets a better squad for next season, and Capela has shown a ton of chemistry with James Harden and Chris Paul. We’ll see what Houston looks to do.