NBA Trade Rumors: The Recent Woj Bombs

It’s trade week! With the trade deadline coming in two days, reports have come out about many possible deals. The NBA’s most respected reporter, Adrian Wojnarowski, has tweeted about several teams in talks of trades. His tweets have given a lot of insight into how the NBA may shape after February 6. Without further ado, here are Woj’s last three reports:

Capela on the Move?

The most exciting bomb of the bunch is the Clint Capela trade. This is Capela’s sixth season with Houston, and by far the most disappointing. They are currently sitting in fifth place in the West.

In the offseason, Houston traded Chris Paul for Russell Westbrook as a last desperate attempt to get James Harden a ring. Many NBA analysts speculated that combining the two players with the highest usage rates in the league wouldn’t work out too well, and although Houston hasn’t been winning, it hasn’t really been because of the struggle between Harden and Westbrook. They’ve both been satisfied with their touches and are both putting up their stats. The problem is (Excluding James Harden’s terrible shot selection) that Houston lacks productive forwards.

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Danuel House and PJ Tucker are both solid players, but House isn’t quite a starting-caliber player yet and PJ Tucker is 34. PJ Tucker isn’t as much of an issue because he does a bit of everything, but Danuel House would not be a starter on any other contending team. Houston has a gaping hole at the three and are in need of a better defender, especially with James Harden being the other wing.

The Clint Capela talks have been rumored to be a three-team trade with the Timberwolves and Celtics. The trade is rumored to look something like this:

Houston receives their defensive wing in Robert Covington. The combination of Covington and Tucker would make for one of the baddest defensive forward duos in the NBA. Along with Covington, Houston would receive Enes Kanter to replace Capela as their starting Center. Kanter is nowhere near as good a player as Capela, but he is a very nice offensive player who could stretch the floor for Harden and Westbrook. He would also provide a large scoring boost on his own as he is shooting 60.1% from the field.

Minnesota receives a truckload of assets to help them build for the future. Marcus Smart, 25, would replace Jeff Teague, who was traded to Atlanta earlier in the season, as the starting Point Guard for Minnesota. They’d also receive Danuel House Jr. House, 26, signed a three-year extension with the Rockets this offseason and would be around for several years. He would likely split minutes with Jake Layman and they’d battle it out for a starting spot now that Covington is gone. They’d also receive two future Second-Round picks that would help them fill up a war chest for the future. Especially since Houston may not be as good in 2023 as both Westbrook and Harden are now in their 30s.

The Celtics receive their starting Center, the one position they were lacking. With the acquisition of Capela, they’d finally have that inside presence that they’ve been lacking all season. Capela would obviously start and Theis would come off the bench and play both the Center and the Power Forward. They essentially replace Smart as the primary bench player with Theis, so their bench doesn’t receive that much of a drop-off. They’d also get to test out rookie Carsen Edwards, who has shown flashes of huge potential.

Marcus Morris Wants to Stay

*(Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)*
Via: Elite Sports NY

Marcus Morris had signed a one-year $15 Million deal with the Knicks in the offseason. Morris is having a career year with New York, averaging a career high with 19.6 points per game on 44.2% from the field. He is shooting 43.9% from three on 6.1 attempts. If he wasn’t in New York, he would likely be considered a near All-Star.

Unlike most people playing at Madison Square Garden, Morris is having a great time in New York. His incredible performance has prompted both the Knicks and Morris to be very enthusiastic about signing a new contract. Trade talks have not halted for New York, but signs point to New York signing an extension with Morris.

New York has a lot of solid young players around Morris. Barrett, Ntilikina, Robinson and Knox are all very young and have a lot of potential. Barrett and Robinson especially have the potential to be great players. Morris is a Small Forward and the other four all play the 1 (Ntilikina), 2 (Barrett), 4 (Knox) and 5 (Robinson) respectively. Morris is the perfect fit with this young core. In two years when they develop a bit more, Morris could really be a part of something special taking place in New York.

Kennard to Phoenix?

The most recent report from Woj is that the Detroit Pistons and Phoenix Suns have been discussing trading Luke Kennard to Phoenix for their First-Round pick and other assets.

Many Detroit fans are in shock that Kennard could be involved in trade rumors, but his injury history may catch up with them the way it did with Blake Griffin. If they want a First-Round pick for Kennard, then they may have to do it now.

With that being said, Kennard is one of the best shooters in the NBA and is only 23 years-old. He would develop nicely as a key bench piece, possibly even Sixth Man, along with Booker, Oubre and Ayton. A trade for the sharpshooter is rumored to look something like this:

Phoenix receives one of the best up-and-coming shooters in the league. Kennard gives them the boost that their bench needs. He is also a young player that can develop with the other young players. Phoenix had to trade Mikal Bridges so that Kennard, and eventually when he returns from injury, Cameron Johnson, can get minutes to develop. Phoenix would have one of the most exciting young cores in the NBA that would contend for the playoffs for years to come.

Detroit receives quite the package for their former lottery-pick. They receive Elie Okobo, a young point guard with potential, and Mikal Bridges. With their starting Small Forward being Tony Snell, Mikal Bridges would definitely contend for a starting role. Detroit could even trade Snell if there are any suitors, but his massive contract would make that difficult. Detroit also receives, as of now, a lottery pick. In order to keep it in the lottery, Memphis would have to keep Phoenix out of the playoffs. Detroit should trade Langston Galloway to the Grizzlies for Josh Jackson shortly after. Galloway would provide great bench minutes behind Dillon Brooks and drain three-after-three. Galloway is a good player and would help Memphis keep the 8-seed and Phoenix out of the playoffs.