How the NBA’s 4-team, 12-player trade impacts the Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) dribbles around Minnesota Timberwolves forward Robert Covington (33) during an NBA basketball game at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City on Monday, Nov. 18, 2019. The Jazz lost 102-112. | Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz were not involved in any of the movement that came to light between the late-night and early-morning hours of Tuesday and Wednesday, but the implications of the big trade that went down extend throughout the league.

The Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves and Atlanta Hawks were the players in a four-team, 12-player trade. Here’s what happened:

Houston receives

Robert Covington (Minnesota), Jordan Bell (Minnesota).

Denver receives

Shabazz Napier (Minnesota), Keita Bates-Diop (Minnesota), Noah Vonleh (Minnesota), Gerald Green (Houston), first-round pick (Houston).

Atlanta receives

Clint Capela (Houston), Nene Hilario (Houston).

Minnesota receives

Evan Turner (Atlanta), Malik Beasley (Denver), Juancho Hernangomez (Denver), Jarred Vanderbilt (Denver), first-round pick (via Brooklyn)

That’s a lot of names and a lot of movement, so on first glance, what do we know for sure?

First, the Rockets are doubling down on small ball by trading to get Covington, and even if they pick up a center or bigger guy through the buyout market they are clearly on a path that says they think they can tear through the West with space and pace.

From the Jazz perspective, that can be both good and bad. Utah has an obvious problem playing five-out shooting teams and Houston’s dedication to that model does not bode well for the Jazz. On the other hand, Capela was the one rim-runner that the Rockets had to throw at the Jazz when size started to overwhelm Houston. Now, with nothing really stopping the Jazz they could seize the opportunity to really exploit the Rockets lack of a front court.

“Outside of Covington going to the Rockets I really don’t know who got traded, there was so much going on,” Donovan Mitchell said with a laugh Wednesday morning. “They’re going to play small but we have Rudy so we’ve got to utilize him more. When it comes to Denver we just need to be the more aggressive team.”

Capela leaves the Rockets, headed to Atlanta where he’ll be paired with rising star Trae Young. This will probably allow John Collins to play in a more traditional power forward role. Capela and Covington were the big names of this trade but it seems like the other shoe has yet to drop for Denver and that Minnesota is playing a bit of a longer game with rebuild on the horizon.

The Nuggets relinquished some of their younger talent in order to bring on a first-round pick and contracts that are either expiring or remain on the rookie scale. The Nuggets are not done. There is some speculation that Denver could be gearing up for an offer on the Pelicans’ Jrue Holiday, but whether they can meet New Orleans’ price expectations remains to be seen.

No matter how all this shakes out, the Rockets and Nuggets are blatantly making moves in order to further their chances in the Western Conference playoffs. It’s uncertain whether the Jazz — quiet to this point — will also throw their hat in the trade ring.

While time will be necessary for the teams involved in these trades to really see how things are going to work, the Jazz’s upcoming schedule could end up being a little bit of a blessing in disguise.

The Jazz play both the Nuggets and Rockets over the next five days and with so much roster movement for both teams the Jazz could capitalize on potential confusion or lack of depth.

The Nuggets, in Salt Lake City Wednesday night will have a little bit of a depleted bench following the news of the trade, which will put a little bit of pressure on the remaining players. Though foul trouble could end up hurting them, Bojan Bogdanovic did warn that it could go the other way and that the Jazz have to stay ready.

“You can look at it from both sides,” he said. “Denver is going to be shorthanded tonight but then also those eight players, or seven, that we’re going to play tonight know that they are going to play heavy minutes and they’ll play relaxed and know they’re getting more shots. It depends how you look at it. Of course the teams will need some time to adjust but I don’t think there is an advantage.”

On Sunday, the Jazz will be in Houston to take on the new-look Rockets, who could potentially be working through some kinks and trying to integrate Covington which would be a nice opportunity for the Jazz to get a win over a conference foe.

But again, there are a couple of ways things could go against the Rockets and however things play out on Sunday will be very informative for the Jazz.

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