NBA Trade Rumors: 6 players (and one team) that will dictate deadline day

Andre Drummond and Clint Capela

Andre Drummond was just born in the wrong era, plain and simple. Plant him in the rough-and-tumble 90s NBA and he would thrive. Unfortunately for him, he’s been present for one of the biggest stylistic shifts in the history of the league. When he was drafted, many teams still believed that obtaining a difference-maker in the middle was a prerequisite to building a championship contender. He’s witnessed the extinction of his own kind in real-time.

Capela is a little different, in that he’s not your typical, back-to-the-basket big man. His best attributes are more suited to the modern game, which is hardly surprising when you think about the team that employs him. He’s been on the receiving end of countless lobs from James Harden and has proven his worth as a devastating roll-man, and a crucial piece of their spread pick-and-roll and isolation-heavy scheme.

The problem with Drummond’s value in this market is as much rooted in his contract as it is his playing style. The last year of his deal is a player option, so he can opt-out this summer in pursuit of a longer, more lucrative contract. He’s given indications that he’s likely to do so and other teams have responded accordingly, offering much less than they would for Capela whose contract situation is much more palatable to a deal where both sides would seemingly prosper.

Capela is younger, though not by much, and is locked up for three more years after this one at a very affordable, and reasonable, price. He’s been linked to the Hawks and the Celtics, though the former probably makes more sense than the latter. If the Celtics can get a deal done that doesn’t compromise their core group – Tatum, Brown, Smart, Hayward, and Walker – they should hop all over it. But their main issue at this particular deadline is the lack of mid-tier contracts on their roster.

That core group of five makes up most of their salary cap. Smart’s $12 million salary could come in handy during these negotiations, but he feels so essential to their team that they’d probably be unlikely to include him in any deal if it only netted them an incremental upgrade.

The Hawks, on the other hand, are a more interesting dance partner. Trae Young has arrived in a big way. He’s the type of offensive engine who can almost singlehandedly will his team to at least a league-average mark on that end of the floor. The threat of his shooting opens up so much space on the court, particularly in the lane when teams send aggressive traps at him nearly 30 feet from the basket. Capela is used to this exact same construct after playing with Harden for all these years. He doesn’t get enough credit as a passer, but he’s more than able to catch it on the short roll, assess his options, and hit an open shooter on the backside.

We’ll also learn more about how Atlanta views John Collins in the coming days. He’s undoubtedly a big part of their future, but in what role? He’s been forceful as Young’s pick-and-roll partner since returning from suspension, able to use his supreme athleticism and leaping ability to spring up for lob finishes. In that sense, Capela would seem like a redundant addition.

But Collins has made significant improvements to his outside shot since entering the league, not to mention that he’s also a tad undersized for his current position. (It’s fine in a lot of matchups but against some of the bigger behemoths roaming the league, he doesn’t stand much of a chance on his own).

He’s up to almost 36 percent from long range on 3.6 attempts per game. Compare that to his rookie season when he cashed only 34 percent on a lowly 0.6 attempts per game, and you can see the outlines of an inside-outside presence. These gains suggest that a Collins-Capela frontcourt is not only workable but potentially scary for the rest of the East.

I’m not sure what Atlanta has, asset-wise, that would entice the Rockets to do a deal. It would have to be a package centered around young players (think Cam Reddish or Kevin Huerter) and picks that the Rockets could use to go get the wing player that they’ve coveted. If there’s no third team willing to give the Rockets the guy that they believe will put them over the top, then I don’t think this is something that’s likely to happen.

Drummond is even less likely to change hands. It just doesn’t feel like any market has materialized for him, despite his relative youth and production. It’s a classic stalemate: The incumbent team has set the asking price too high and hasn’t shown a willingness to come off it, while the rest of the teams in the league aren’t even really ready to meet them in the middle.

The deadline seems to resolve a lot of these situations though. (The Pistons will also lose Drummond for nothing if he stays true to his word and walks this summer, perhaps motivating them to get something while they can). Detroit has to embark on a lengthy rebuild sometime, and cashing in this chip would seem to be a good place to start.