Dec 8, 2015; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (15) dunks during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Wolves Trade Muhammad to Houston for Clint Capela and Sergey Karasev from Brooklyn, Nets receive Sam Dekker (ESPN Trade Machine)
Why Houston says “yes”: Houston has tended to lean towards a small-ball lineup. Muhammad could play a wing, but he may be best utilized in the power forward position in Houston, and he could stretch the floor for a team that loves to shoot three-pointers. Muhammad would also help in shoring up Houston’s 22nd-best rebounding rate.
Why Brooklyn says “yes”: Karasev has come out and said he wants to be traded from Brooklyn, and he’s verbally questioned coach Lionel Hollins. Brooklyn could avoid a detrimental locker room situation if they give up Karasev, They would be bringing on Sam Dekker, who at the moment may be a D-League project after he returns from injury. However, Brooklyn isn’t competing this season, so it wouldn’t be a huge risk on their part to deal away Karasev for Dekker.
Why Minnesota says “yes”: Karasev holds some value for the Wolves as he’s a good perimeter shooter and a decent distributor. It would likely be hard for him to get minutes, but he may turn into a Damjan Rudez-type, who makes use of limited minutes.
As for Capela, he’d make for an interesting bench front court player. Having a lineup with him and Gorgui Dieng would be fun to watch. Houston is pretty high on Capela, and with his excellent per 100 possession numbers, who wouldn’t be? It’s likely that the Rockets would need to receive a draft pick or two to part with both Capela and Dekker.
Next: The Potential Blockbuster