Report: Robert Covington Traded to Trail Blazers; Rockets Get Trevor Ariza, More

The Houston Rockets are reportedly shaking things up again.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday the Rockets will trade Robert Covington to the Portland Trail Blazers for Trevor Ariza, the 16th pick in Wednesday's NBA draft and a 2021 protected first-round pick.

He noted the trade cannot be finalized until after the draft.

This is yet another move for the Rockets, who already parted ways with general manager Daryl Morey and head coach Mike D'Antoni. It may not be the last one either, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported Russell Westbrook wants to be traded so he can "be himself" on the floor.

What's more, Wojnarowski reported James Harden turned down a two-year, $103 million contract extension because "he's singularly focused on a trade to the Brooklyn Nets."

Houston's loss will be Portland's gain, as Covington can give the Blazers someone to play off Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum and take advantage of open space as a career 35.6 percent shooter from three-point range.

He is also a solid secondary scorer who has averaged double-digit totals every season since his rookie one in 2013-14. The result is 12.7 points per game in a career that includes stops on the Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Covington can also contribute on the defensive side as a rebounder and solid perimeter option who bothers shooters with his length. Opponents shot 3.8 percentage points worse than their normal averages from three-point range last season when he defended them, per NBA.com.

Portland could use the defensive help considering it finished 27th in the league in defensive rating in 2019-20.

As for Ariza, he at least provides a veteran option for the Rockets and can hit from the outside as well as a 35.2 percent career three-point shooter. That will come in handy if Harden and Westbrook are still drawing so much defensive attention for Houston.