Former Rockets center Clint Capela to miss ‘weeks’ with foot injury

Per Atlanta, Clint Capela (foot) is still weeks from being able to play. Could that have affected Houston’s talks at the trade deadline?

Perhaps health was another consideration for the Houston Rockets in their Feb. 5 trade of center Clint Capela, which brought forward Robert Covington to Houston as part of a four-way deal.

Speaking at his team’s practice on Wednesday, Atlanta coach Lloyd Pierce said Capela is likely still weeks away from making his debut with the Hawks due to an ongoing foot injury.

Here’s what Pierce said, via Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Clint is just trying to figure out what he can tolerate each day. He is working out. You don’t see a whole lot of movement. I would guess we are weeks away from either guy seeing any court time.

Capela, who is averaging 13.9 points, 13.8 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks in 32.8 minutes per game this season, has yet to play since the trade. As a member of the Rockets, he last played on Jan. 29 in Portland.

Prior to the deal, Capela had missed seven games in barely over a month  due to the nagging foot issue that never fully went away. While the Rockets initially referred to it as a right heel contusion, reports in late January identified the 25-year-old’s injury as plantar fasciitis.

The Rockets never indicated any long-term concerns or an extended timetable for Capela’s return to health, and he often returned to the lineup after only missing a single game. Nonetheless, the injury lingered.

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Given that Houston doubled-down on “small ball” and versatility with its recent acquisitions of forwards DeMarre Carroll and Jeff Green, it would be a major stretch to suggest that the Capela trade was solely motivated by injury fears. It seems clear that GM Daryl Morey and head coach Mike D’Antoni view the floor-spacing lineups as their best chance to win.

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However, it could be possible that the Capela injury played into their leverage (or lack thereof) in trade negotiations. Many were surprised when the Rockets gave up both Capela and a 2020 first-round pick in the deal bringing Covington to Houston, and perhaps Capela’s value was slightly lower than anticipated due to medical concerns.

Moving forward, Capela’s health becomes a storyline for the Hawks, rather than the Rockets. But in the short-term, it might shed more light on the numerous considerations at play for Morey and the Rockets in the days leading up to the NBA’s 2019-20 trade deadline.

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