Robert Covington #33 of the Houston Rockets dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game Two of the Western Conference Second Round during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 06, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP
Veteran forward Robert Covington appears headed to his fourth team in just over two years as the Houston Rockets agreed to a trade that would send him to the Portland Trail Blazers, ESPN reported Monday.
The Rockets reportedly would receive the 16th overall pick in Wednesday’s NBA draft, another future first-round draft pick and veteran swingman Trevor Ariza in exchange for Covington.
The deal won’t be completed until after the draft, per ESPN.
Covington, 29, rejoined the Rockets in February as part of a four-team trade that sent him out of Minnesota. He opened his NBA career by playing seven games for Houston in 2013-14 before spending the next 4 1/2 seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers. In November 2018, Covington joined the Timberwolves as part of the deal that sent Jimmy Butler to Philadelphia.
In 70 games (68 starts) last season for the Timberwolves and the Rockets combined, Covington averaged 12.4 points and 6.6 rebounds. Over 396 career games (348 starts), Covington is averaging 12.7 points and 5.7 rebounds.
Ariza, 35, is set for his third stint with the Rockets, having played in Houston in 2009-10 and again from 2014-15 to 2017-18. He would be changing teams for the fifth time since July 2018.
Ariza split last season between the Sacramento Kings and the Trail Blazers, and he put up eight points and 4.6 rebounds per game. A member of the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2008-09 championship team, Ariza also has played for the New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, then-New Orleans Hornets, Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns.
He owns career averages of 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 1,064 games (731 starts).