As part of ongoing trade talks with starting center Clint Capela, the Houston Rockets reportedly offered Capela to the Brooklyn Nets for a package led by big man Jarrett Allen and small forward Taurean Prince.

According to The Ringer‘s Kevin O’Connor, the Nets declined the offer:

Atlanta, Boston, and Brooklyn are among the teams that Houston has approached for the center. League sources say the Rockets offered Capela to the Nets for a package that included Jarrett Allen and Taurean Prince, which Brooklyn declined.

The 6-foot-7 Prince averages 12.4 points and 6.4 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game, and he’s well regarded for his perimeter defense — which is clearly something the Rockets are searching for this week. The 25-year-old is also a career 37.3% shooter from 3-point range.

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-11 Allen averages 11.3 points and 9.7 rebounds in 27.2 minutes per game as Brooklyn’s starting center.

Allen is just 21 years old and could have further upside in the years ahead, which may have played a role in Brooklyn’s choice to decline the offer.

Elsewhere in the story, O’Connor confirms Minnesota forward Robert Covington as a continued target for GM Daryl Morey and the Rockets in potential three-way trades leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline.

O’Connor also reports that Houston has recently spoken with Atlanta about just a two-way trade for Capela, though specific players from the Hawks’ side in those talks were not identified.

Sources: A three-way deal was discussed to send Robert Covington to Houston, Clint Capela to Atlanta, and picks to Minnesota. The Wolves hoped to flip assets for D'Angelo Russell, but Golden State denied their offer. Talks have stalled. More on @ringer: https://t.co/R98g4VnDPg — Kevin O'Connor (@KevinOConnorNBA) February 4, 2020

Though the Brooklyn proposal wasn’t accepted, what it suggests is a potential reallocation of resources from the Rockets’ perspective. Making more than $16 million per season, Capela is Houston’s third-highest paid player, trailing only former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook.

But despite the salary, the Rockets (31-18) are 9-1 in the 10 games that Capela has missed this season ⁠— including 3-0 in the past week with a smaller lineup with P.J. Tucker at center. Those smaller lineups offer more floor spacing for Westbrook and Harden, allowing them to attack the basket since defenses have to respect 3-point shooters at all positions.

In a separate The Ringer article, Dan Devine makes the statistical case for why the Rockets are considering moving on from Capela:

As the Rockets offense became more predicated on floor spacing and one-on-one play, it became less oriented around the two-man game. [About] 21% of their possessions were finished by a pick-and-roll participant last season, and that’s down to 15.5% this season, with Houston ranking last in the league in percentage of plays finished by pick-and-roll ball handlers and roll men. As the Rockets have moved away from his bread-and-butter play, Capela’s production on it has waned, too: He’s gone from the 91st percentile in points scored per pick-and-roll possession finished two seasons ago, to the 65th percentile last season, to the 50th percentile this season. If you’re not a pick-and-roll-heavy team anymore, maybe having a nonshooting pick-and-roll center, especially one who’s not a no-doubt-about-it elite finisher in that role, just isn’t as valuable as it used to be.

At @ringer/@ringernba: I wrote about Clint Capela being on the trade block, and the possibility that the Rockets might want to build the whole thing out of explosives: https://t.co/eLSeDsZDJm — Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) February 3, 2020

The Rockets average 117.3 points per 100 possessions when the 25-year-old Capela isn’t on the floor this season, which for the full 2019-20 season would be the best offense in the entire NBA. With the 6-foot-10 big man on the court, the Rockets average 110.3 points per 100 possessions.

Mike D'Antoni on small unit (continued): "We're just trying to open it up for James and Russ to get to the rim so we can get layups. Those are the best shots. That lineup permits that." pic.twitter.com/ssFL39A3q0 — Salman Ali (@SalmanAliNBA) February 1, 2020

They are slightly worse defensively without Capela, who ranks fourth in the NBA with an average of 13.8 rebounds per game, but not nearly to the extent of their improvement on offense.

Thus, the Rockets are seeking both a wing player (Prince) and a viable center (Allen) in their moves leading up to Thursday’s NBA trade deadline. While they may want to finish games with a smaller floor-spacing lineup, especially in select matchups, there are also advantages to having a traditional size presence that can offer rim protection and rebounding.

But rather than having so many eggs solely in Capela’s basket, from a salary perspective, Morey seemingly wants to redistribute those funds to give the Rockets more flexibility with their lineups.

The trade deadline arrives at 2 p.m. Houston time on Thursday.