Robert Covington Trade Rumors: 76ers, Rockets Front-Runners for T-Wolves F

The 15-33 Minnesota Timberwolves are playing out the string of a lost season, and rumors are circulating about some of their players in advance of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

Forward Robert Covington is one of them, and Marc Stein of the New York Times provided the latest news on his potential landing spot:

Covington is averaging 12.8 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals for the Wolves, who are second-to-last in the Western Conference.

As Stein noted, the Philadelphia 76ers and Houston Rockets both have interest in Covington. Those two teams just so happen to be the ones Covington played for before arriving in Minnesota via a November 2018 trade with the Philadelphia 76ers. That deal included Jimmy Butler, who went to Philly, as its centerpiece.

Covington is a solid three-and-D player who could be a useful addition to either team. The 29-year-old out of Tennessee State has made 35.9 percent of his three-pointers for his career. He's also ranked 27th among 94 qualified power forwards in defensive real plus-minus, per ESPN.

The 76ers and Rockets are both firmly in their respective conferences' playoff pictures, but they are both outside the top four. They could both use some help off the bench, with the two ranking in the bottom four in the league in reserve scoring, per NBA.com.

Philadelphia has done well on the defensive end, ranking fifth in efficiency, per ESPN. However, the Rockets have struggled in that regard at just 15th.

We'll soon find out if Covington ends up anywhere, but for now, he and the Wolves are set to visit the Sacramento Kings on Monday.