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NBA Trade Deadline 2020: Date, End Time, Hottest Rumors, Predictions and More
February 4, 2020
The first stretch of the 2019-20 NBA season has been incredibly exciting. The new-look Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers have been as good as advertised, the Zion Williamson era has finally begun, the Golden State Warriors are on their way to a lottery pick and the Milwaukee Bucks are dominating.
The NBA landscape could be shifting in the next few days, however, as the trade deadline is quickly approaching.
At 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, the trade window will close. There will likely be a flurry of activity before then. Here, we'll dig into some of the latest buzz.
Celtics, Hawks Interested in Capela
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, the Houston Rockets are open to moving center Clint Capela.
"The Rockets are engaged in three-way trade possibilities that might allow for them to use Capela to gather the draft assets needed to acquire an impact wing player, league sources said," he wrote.
On Monday, Wojnarowski reported that the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks have thrown their hat into the proverbial ring for Capela:
Adding Capela would make sense for the Celtics, who traded center Aron Baynes in the offseason. The question is whether they can pry him away without giving up too much existing roster depth. According to RealGM, Boston will have at least two first-round picks this year—along with the Milwaukee Bucks' selection—but those picks may not be high enough to get Houston the impact wing it is looking for.
Boston may have a better chance of landing Capela than the Hawks, though, depending on what sort of deal they're willing to offer. Atlanta has its own first-round pick, along with a possible 15-30 selection from the Brooklyn Nets. However, at 13-38, Atlanta is in prime position for a lottery pick that it may not want to deal for Capela.
Prediction: Boston deals for Capela.
Pistons Seeking a Lottery Pick for Rose
For teams looking to add a little scoring help, Detroit Pistons point guard Derrick Rose is available. Not only is he available, he's playing at a level that should interest said teams.
Rose is averaging 18.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game while playing an average of 26.4 minutes. He's shot 49.8 percent from the floor this season and made 31.5 percent of his three-point attempts. However, Rose won't come cheaply.
According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, Detroit is seeking a "lottery-level first-round pick" in exchange for him.
Getting such a return is highly unlikely. The only teams willing to give up such an offer are those in win-now mode. For example, Los Angeles Lakers were reportedly interested in dealing for Rose last month, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
Teams like Los Angeles won't be in position to offer a lottery-level pick, though. The rebuilding teams that will are not going to give up a lottery pick for a 31-year-old with a significant injury history.
Prediction: Rose stays in Detroit.
It's Trade or Nothing for Iguodala
The Memphis Grizzlies still have shooting guard Andre Iguodala on their roster, and they'll still have him there after the trade deadline if a deal doesn't get done. While many teams are hoping to scoop up the former Golden State Warriors standout following a buyout, that isn't likely to happen.
According to Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher, the Grizzlies aren't looking to do Iguodala "any favors" and will likely trade or keep him instead. If they do, they aren't going to see him play.
According to The Athletic's David Aldridge, Iguodala has no intention of playing for the Grizzlies this year:
The situation could lead to Memphis accepting a less-than-optimal trade offer. Iguodala has plenty of value in a potential deal, but the Grizzlies have very little leverage if he is willing to continue sitting.
ESPN's Tim MacMahon speculated last week that Memphis may already have such a deal in place.
"Some executives around the league suspect that Memphis' fallback option is a Mavericks offer of Courtney Lee, and the Warriors' surprisingly high second-rounder, though Dallas sources have done their best to refute that," he wrote.
Prediction: Iguodala is traded before the deadline.