Report: Atlanta Hawks big man Clint Capela is on the trade block

Published by

Peter Dewey

2 years ago

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela is on the trade block this offseason, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Brian Windhorst.

MacMahon mentioned the Dallas Mavericks as a team that would like to have a player like Capela on the roster in the 2023-24 season.

“Capela is on the block right now as well, right?” MacMahon said. “The Mavericks would love to have that kind of starting center.”

Windhorst also mentioned that Capela and Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic are on the trade block this offseason.

Capela, 29, is under contract for the next two seasons with the Hawks and set to make over $20 million in each of those seasons. That’s a major contract for the big man, but there appears to be some interest in him across the league.

The Hawks have a young big man in Onyeka Okongwu (a lottery pick in the 2020 NBA Draft) that could fill Capela’s role if the team decides to move on from him this offseason. Atlanta has already moved on from John Collins this offseason in a trade.

Last season, Capela appeared in 65 games for the Hawks and made 63 starts. He averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 65.3 percent from the field.

Capela is a terrific lob threat down low, and he’s been one of the game’s better shot-blockers in his career, averaging 1.5 blocks per game across nine NBA seasons (three with the Hawks).

The Hawks made the playoffs in the Eastern Conference as the No. 7 seed last season after beating the Miami Heat in the league’s play-in tournament. However, Atlanta didn’t get out of the first round, losing to the No. 2-seeded Boston Celtics in six games.

With the Hawks making a move to trade Collins, they could be looking to reshape the roster around Dejounte Murray and Trae Young.

Giving more time to a young player like Okongwu could be a start, but it is hard to play him and Capela together since neither player really stretches the floor on offense.

It will be interesting to see how the market for Capela develops this offseason and if Atlanta ends up finding a deal it deems worthy of moving him.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball, football and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.