The 2020 NBA trade deadline might not be the most active we’ve seen in recent years, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t the possibility of a major move.
The Houston Rockets are the contender that seems most willing to shake things up, as they have been reportedly discussing trades with teams like the Atlanta Hawks that would send out center Clint Capela. The Minnesota Timberwolves are apparently still trying to land D’Angelo Russell from the Warriors, after missing out on the young star guard in free agency this summer, but need draft capital to make it happen. As such, their asking price for Robert Covington, a hot commodity for contenders like the Rockets seeking wing help, is reportedly multiple first round picks.
The general consensus has been that all of these rumors are connected, and we got further confirmation of that on Tuesday in the form of a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. According to Woj, it is Minnesota that is leading talks of a three-team deal with the Hawks and Rockets that would send picks to Minnesota, Capela to Atlanta, and Covington to Houston, with the hopes of turning that into a four-team deal to get Russell from Golden State.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are orchestrating multiteam trade discussions with Houston and Atlanta, with hopes of ultimately turning discussions into a four-way deal that brings Golden State guard D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota, league sources tell ESPN.
If it were to happen it would be a trade machine fever dream come to life. Multi-team deals are always tricky and usually only exist in the imaginations of fans and media on the internet, but in this case it seems there’s a real possibility of a rare four-team trade. It makes sense, provided the Warriors shake off of their apparent stance against trading Russell. The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor reported similar talks on Monday night, but that to this point Golden State has denied the Timberwolves advances.
Sources: A three-way deal was discussed to send Robert Covington to Houston, Clint Capela to Atlanta, and picks to Minnesota.
The Wolves hoped to flip assets for D'Angelo Russell, but Golden State denied their offer. Talks have stalled.
More on @ringer: https://t.co/R98g4VnDPg
— Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 4, 2020
The likely hang up is what picks would be going to Golden State. Atlanta won’t be willing to give up their first round pick this year, but would likely be parting with the Nets pick that will be just outside the lottery. Houston’s first won’t be especially valuable, so it may come down to whether the Wolves would be willing to throw their pick into the mix to land Russell and hold on to Houston’s pick.
Whatever the case, this seems like the blockbuster type deal most likely to happen, but as always, things change rapidly around the deadline and another move that is to this point unreported may steal the show.
