NBA Trade Rumors: Atlanta Hawks could end up moving Clint Capela to finish offseason retooling.
After making a somewhat surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, the belief was that the Atlanta Hawks, with its young core, was in a good position to emerge as one of the next contenders in the conference moving forward. However, over the next two seasons, that didn’t exactly play out.
Instead of taking a step forward, the Hawks had back-to-back disappointing seasons that resulted in two first-round playoff exits. Heading into this offseason, the belief was that the Hawks would explore retooling their roster. While they haven’t made the blockbuster move that many speculated they would make, there’s no question that their roster won’t look the same as it did last season.
After trading John Collins (to the Utah Jazz) and drafting Kobe Bufkin, the Hawks still may not be done reshuffling their roster. According to a recent report, there’s a belief that the Hawks could be looking to trade Capela to finish off their offseason retooling.
The Atlanta Hawks continue to retool their roster
It would be far from surprising if the Hawks do end up making a trade involving Capela. He’s been rumored as a big that many other teams have targeted since the NBA Draft. As the team looks to open more minutes for Onyeka Okongwu, trading Capela could go a long way in accomplishing that.
Plus, after paying Dejounte Murray a big-money extension, trading Capela and the $43 million that remains on his contract (over two years) would also make sense. It’s also easy to see why Capela would be an intriguing target for contending teams. Capela is still just 29 years old and is likely still in the primer years of his career.
Capela is coming off a season in which he averaged 12 points and 11 rebounds per game on 65 percent shooting from the field. He may not be a “star” player but he’d certainly be a valued addition for any contender that is looking for rim protection and depth in the frontcourt. And you’d have to imagine that the price tag for Capela wouldn’t be that high for opposing teams.
It’s become abundantly clear that the Hawks are going to give the Trae Young-Murray backcourt another shot with a fresh look in the frontcourt. At least for now, Capela remains part of this team’s core. However, it’s looking more and more as if that can change before the start of the season.