Robert Covington, who is now a member of the Timberwolves, heard the trade rumors surrounding his name over the summer. He was aware that the Sixers were in the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes and asked Brett Brown about the possibilities of him getting dealt.
“I was told over the summer that there was no chance that I would be traded,” Covington said (via Sarah Todd of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “But things happen. I talked to Brett numerous times. At the same time, you saw everything that transpired with Kawhi and DeMar [DeRozan, the main principles in the trade that sent Leonard from San Antonio to Toronto], so anything can happen.”
Covington added that he didn’t find out about the trade from the Sixers.
“I found out on social media,” he said. “It was like five minutes before the team meeting, then Brett [Brown, the Sixers’ coach] called me and EB [general manager Elton Brand] called me, but I already knew. By then it was already out there. That’s how I found out.”
Covington added that the conversation with Brown was “clear-cut and dry.” The small forward was merely told he going to Minnesota in a package for Butler.
“As far as having that respect level, and for how much we’d been through, I would have thought it had to be completely different, but it wasn’t. Considering how much time relationship-wise and everything that went down. … It was weird,” Covington added.
Brown and Covington have been in contact via text since the deal. Brown recently learned about Covington’s feelings on the communication of the trade and indicated that he will reach out to the 28-year-old about it.
Brand and Covington haven’t spoken since the day of the trade. The two have known each other since Brand was a member of the Sixers (Todd notes that the two players had adjacent lockers) and they had a close relationship. Brand acknowledged that things are different now.
“It probably was cold,” Brand said of trading Covington. “I would talk to those guys about anything and everything … and now we don’t talk anymore. With my new role and my new job, it’s tough to make those decisions. The relationship is real, but it’s tough because it becomes transactional. I can see how he would think it was cold, for sure.”
Covington told Todd that he doesn’t hold any grudges. The Sixers will host the Timberwolves on January 15. “I think it’ll be warm, but you never know with Philly,” Covington said of the response he’ll get from the Philadelphia crowd. “One minute they love you and the next, you never know.”
Philly loves Cov!!! Until he starts knocking down timely 3’s against us…
It’s more likely Philly boos Jimmy rather than RoCo or Saric. They love those two guys, I doubt Philly is loving the Jimmy Butler Experience.
Side note shout out to Elton Brand for keeping it real. Ownership was probably pressuring him to make a move to acquire a 3rd star player, I know the media definitely was. Hopefully RoCo understands that wasn’t his decision alone because a good friendship shouldn’t be ruined by the business side of the NBA. It’s just unfortunate that the Sixers gave up two fan favorites and ride or die Sixers for a guy who probably won’t even re-sign with them. The worst part is Thibs could have got 4 1st rounders from the Rockets for Butler, putting the Rockets in a very difficult position with Harden and an injury prone Paul locked up to huge contracts and forcing them to have to negotiate with extending Butler, which would give them little to no cap space to build around those guys. And with no picks they’d have to rebuild by trading veterans for picks and tank. Which would have made those first rounders very valuable once the Rockets poorly built contender inevitably collapsed. Instead he traded him to Philly ruining their team chemistry and further proving no team is one player away from a championship unless you go 73-9 and add Kevin Durant.
Business is business. The Process is over, time to win