Trying to make sense of 3 Houston Rockets Capela trade rumors

1. Send Capela east for picks, flip those to Minnesota for Covington

The idea behind this scenario is that Robert Covington is the Rockets’ most sought-after player out of everyone they’ve been rumored to be coveting. As such, they would get creative by involving a third team such as the Atlanta Hawks and get picks and a replacement center in return.

This makes sense for Houston if they really are sold on RoCo being the difference between the team being a fringe contender and a serious contender. I’m a bit torn on this idea. Covington would certainly give the Rockets valuable defense on the perimeter while also being able to knock down threes. Still, is it worth losing a center giving them 13.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game?

This option would leave the Rockets with a downgraded center, but then again that position doesn’t seem to be as important for Mike D’Antoni nowadays. If Houston can pull this off while also landing a center that’s capable of spacing the floor and boxing out, this might be their best option. If not, I’d pass on this.

Next: Rumors 2 and 3