The Rockets are belived to be happy with the February trade that brought versatile forward Robert Covington to Houston at the cost of shipping starting center Clint Capela to Atlanta.
However, they would still like to replace some of Capela’s value as a traditional big man with rebounding and rim protection, as well as a lob threat in pick-and-roll scenarios with James Harden.
ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon, who regularly covers the Rockets, said this on Brian Windhorst’s latest The Hoop Collective podcast:
They would like to have a [Clint] Capela-lite type of center on the roster. Not necessarily in the starting lineup, but on the roster, they want to at least have the ability to play different styles. Not just the all small, all the time. I was told that was the plan last year, when they made the Covington trade. They thought they could backfill that spot.
The name that was brought up to me was Nerlens Noel. They thought they could get a deal done with OKC at the deadline to get Noel. That didn’t happen. They had other deals that also fell through. Noel has been a productive player in OKC the last couple years on a minimum [contract]. He can catch lobs, he can switch defensively, and he can give them a different look as a guy coming off that bench.
With Houston reportedly poised to spend its taxpayer Mid-Level Exception (MLE), which was worth roughly $5.7 million last season, a big man could be a realistic target in free agency for new GM Rafael Stone.
Noel will be among the available centers in 2020 free agency.
.@WindhorstESPN @espn_macmahon & @kirkgoldsberry discuss the Pelicans hiring Stan Van Gundy, the Rockets' future post-Daryl Morey and how Ty Lue will fare as the Clippers' new coach. https://t.co/Na4P42uXkE
— John Ledesma (@JohnnyNBA) October 22, 2020
