With the trade deadline just a few days away, NBA teams are scrambling for the right deals to improve their chances in the second half of the 2019-20 NBA regular season. Among the many rumored swaps is a potential trade between the Atlanta Hawks and Houston Rockets involving their respective starting big men John Collins and Clint Capela.
As of the moment, the two teams couldn’t be in any more different scenarios.
Powered by the fearsome duo of James Harden and Russell Westbrook, the Rockets are currently fifth in the Western Conference with a 31-18 slate.
The Atlanta Hawks, on the other hand, are once again bound for the lottery and are tied with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the worst record in the East with a 13-37 win-loss record.
Let’s take a look at how this potential trade could benefit both teams moving forward.
Rockets get another big who can stretch the floor
Just a few seasons ago, the Rockets loved what they have in Capela, evidenced by rewarding him with a lucrative five-year, $90 million contract in the 2018-19 season.
But that interest dwindled as time went by, considering the 6-foot-10 center’s recent battle with injuries. It also seems that Capela has already reached his ceiling as a player.
With Mike D’Antoni at the helm, Houston’s offense is still centered around shooting three-pointers. They still lead the league in 3-pointers attempted at 44.1 per game.
Capela somehow holds them back in that regard with his limited range. He is usually the only Rockets player on the floor who is not a threat outside the perimeter.
This is where John Collins will shine for Houston. At 6-foot-9 — not to mention possessing nuclear athleticism — the Rockets won’t lose that much size with him in the interior.
The 22-year-old out of Wake Forest is knocking down 34.1 percent of his three-pointers this year. He is hoisting 3.7 attempts per game and is usually good for 1.3 makes each match. Those numbers will certainly go higher once he gets the green light under D’Antoni’s offense.
After returning from a lengthy 25-game ban earlier this season. Collins has been the Hawks’ second-best player. He is averaging 19.3 points on 54.9 percent shooting from the field, to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.8 steals in 24 games.
Hawks gain an anchor underneath
It’s been a rough season for the youth-laden Hawks so far. Even though they have a franchise player in sophomore sensation Trae Young, it’s safe to assume that the playoffs is out of their grasp this year.
Acquiring a proven player of Capela’s caliber, meanwhile, will surely speed up their rebuilding process in the coming years. At just 25 years old, the Swiss center is still relatively young, but he already possesses some playoff experience that would greatly benefit the young team.
The duo of Young and Collins does seem promising, but Capela might be a better fit for Young.
The six-year veteran is a throwback center who is willing to do the dirty work underneath and set a thousand screens for the ball-dominant Young. But perhaps his most valuable asset is his rim protection, which is scarce in today’s game.
One of the many holes in Atlanta’s game is their ineptitude in stopping their opponents from scoring, giving up 118.2 points per game (second-worst in the league). Capela could provide some boost in that regard, as he currently tallies 1.8 rejections per game, on top of 13.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 39 games played this year.
He’s also been one of the most efficient scorers in the league, shooting above 60 percent in the last four seasons.
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