Atlanta Lands a Big Man as Houston Commits to the Small Ball Life-Style

With the trade deadline on the horizon, four teams broke the internet with a blockbuster 12-player trade late Tuesday night.

With a lot of questions regarding the need for this trade to happen, it has certainly shaken up the race to the playoffs for the Western Conference.

Denver Nuggets

Received: Shabazz Napier, Keita Bates-Diop, Noah Vonleh and Gerald Green.

Traded: Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernagomez, Jared Vanderbilt

For the Nuggets, nothing major changed. Coming into the season everyone raved about their depth and after this deal, all they did was add more depth. Shabazz Napier is having a sneaky good season as he averages about 10 points and 5 assists per game. He and Monte Morris have fairly similar play styles at the point guard position so it should be interesting to see who secures the backup point guard minutes.

Perhaps the biggest move for Denver was trading Malik Beasley. The 23-year-old guard is set to be a restricted free agent this coming offseason and with so much money wrapped up in Jokic and Murray, Denver simply couldn’t afford to pay Beasley this summer. Smart move on their end.

Minnesota Timberwolves

Received: Evan Turner, Malik Beasley, Juancho Hernagomez, Jarred Vanderbilt, two first-round picks

Traded: Robert Covington, Jordan Bell, Shabazz Napier, Keta Bates-Diop

They are simply waving the white flag at this point.

They’re 15–34 and are riding a 12 game losing streak. If you thought it couldn’t get worse, you’re wrong because it could get really ugly in Minnesota. Let’s be real, this season is over and it’s been over since mid December. Whether they planned it or not, the Wolves are tanking and they’re doing one hell of a job at it. As they practically prepare for what should be an eventful offseason, I’m excited to watch how Beasley plays in Minnesota. He’s young and isn’t afraid to shoot the rock.

At the end of the day, the most important thing for the Wolves is those two first-round picks. With so much speculation surrounding D’Angelo Russell, it seems most likely the Wolves look to use those picks in a trade for Russell. The Wolves are desperate to pair him with his buddy Karl Anthony-Towns so those picks could help them in the upcoming months.

Houston Rockets

Received: Robert Covington, Jordan Bell, Warriors’ 2024 second-round draft pick

Traded: Clint Capela, Nene, future first-round draft pick

I don’t even know what to say.

I’ve looked at this trade and tried to put it all together and I can’t seem to find the reason. If it was to get under the luxury tax, then you shouldn’t have to use your 26-year-old center to do so. On top of that, they now stand with no starting center but seem to be committed to starting 6-foot-6 P.J. Tucker in the middle. Trading Clint Capela was bad but to make matters worse, they gave up a future first-round pick to complete the deal.

I like RoCo, I really do. However, having to give up a 26-year-old who has averaged a double-double for the last three seasons just doesn’t seem ideal. I have a ton of respect and admiration for Tucker and the intensity he brings to the court. With that being said, there is literally no way he can guard any of the starting centers on current Western Conference playoff teams. It’s a risk for Houston and the only way I see them coming out with a win in this scenario is if they make a crazy run and win a championship. And even with Capela, that was a tall task at hand.

Atlanta Hawks

Received: Clint Capela, Nene

Traded: Evan Turner, Nets first-round pick

The Atlanta Hawks just fleeced three other teams. Just straight highway robbery in broad daylight.

The Hawks just filled what is presumably their weakest position in their starting lineup. Now they’ll look to roll out a lineup of Trae/Huerter/Hunter/Collins/Capela and while it’s certainly too late to make push for the postseason, this young Hawks lineup could be seeing their first postseason in the very next year or two.

The most surprising thing of this all is how little they had to relinquish. Typically you have to give to take but here they didn’t lose anything. Evan Turner is a vet on an expiring deal and that Nets picks is looking to land somewhere in the 16 to 20 range. All of that for a guy averaging 15 points and 12 rebounds on 65% shooting over the last three seasons. Atlanta for sure came out of this trade with major improvements.

A blockbuster trade that shook the NBA for just a slight moment has everyone excited to see how the future pans out for each team.