A blockbuster three-team trade is reportedly getting closer to being done, as the Atlanta Hawks, Houston Rockets and Minnesota Timberwolves are discussing a deal that would involve Robert Covington, Clint Capela and Evan Turner.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the supposed deal would send Covington to Houston, Capela to the Hawks and Turner plus draft picks to Minnesota. Charania also added that a fourth team may possibly be involved in the trade.
Per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Denver Nuggets emerge as the serious candidate to be the fourth team in the deal.
Capela is likely the headliner of the deal. The Swiss big man is averaging 13.9 points, a career-high 13.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game while shooting 62.9 percent from the field.
Adding Capela to the Hawks would give Atlanta a promising big three of Trae Young, John Collins and Capela — all of whom are 25 years old or younger.
Covington is one of the best 3-and-D players in the NBA, with the 6-foot-7 forward averaging 12.8 points 6.0 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 34.6 percent from deep.
An All-Defensive team selection for the 2017-18 season, Covington would give the Rockets a much-needed defensive presence both on the perimeter and inside while also fulfilling the team's need for a wing.
Lastly, Turner has spent this season mainly sitting on the end of the bench for Atlanta. The former number two overall pick has appeared in just 19 games for a Hawks team that has only won 13 games all year.
In those 13 games, the 31-year-old is averaging a career-low 3.3 points per game to go along with 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists on a 37.3 percent shooting clip.
It remains to be seen how the trade will go down, but it sure looks like the Hawks, Rockets and Timberwolves are determined to make a move before the deadline.