Hawks center Clint Capela is coming off of perhaps his best game of the season against the Washington Wizards. It was another double-double for Capela last night (10 points and 11 rebounds) and was good defensively in the middle for the Hawks.
Capela was in several trade rumors throughout the offseason and those rumors started going again when backup center Onyeka Okongwu signed a four-year $62 million dollar extension before the season started. Okongwu has been viewed as a key piece for the Hawks's future ever since they drafted him with the 6th overall pick in 2020 and he has gotten better and better each season. $62 million is also a lot to pay for a backup center.
Most of this summer's NBA trade rumors involving Capela have been with the Dallas Mavericks. NBA insider Marc Stein said in the summer "The Mavericks don’t want to be done. Maybe they are done with this roster because further moves are not available to them. They would love if the chance to make another trade run at Clint Capela from the Atlanta Hawks materializes to this point. That opportunity has not availed itself to the Mavericks. But will Atlanta move Capela elsewhere which creates an opportunity for Dallas to try to get in as a third team? Or would they trade him somewhere to a team that really only needs him for contract purposes, salary cap matching purposes in the trade and then that team makes Capela available?" (via Hoopshype).
The latest trade idea involving Capela comes from Bleacher Reports' Greg Swartz, who has the Hawks center heading to the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis lost their starting center Steven Adams to injury before the season and the Grizzlies are currently 0-5 to start the year.
Here is the trade idea from Swartz:
Memphis Grizzlies Receive: C Clint Capela
Atlanta Hawks: PF/C Brandon Clarke, PF Jake LaRavia, 2024 first-round pick (lottery-protected)
Here is what Swartz had to say about the trade idea:
"Just days before the season began, the Grizzlies announced that starting center Steven Adams would miss the entire 2023-24 campaign to have surgery on the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. With Adams sidelined and Ja Morant still suspended, they're off to a 0-4 start to the season.
The Grizzlies signed Bismack Biyombo to replace Adams, but that won't be enough to turn their season around. They need to find a new starting center who can keep them in the playoff hunt until Morant can return.
Capela could become available, especially after the Hawks gave backup center Onyeka Okongwu a four-year, $62 million extension that will kick in next season.
Capela, 29, is averaging a double-double for a seventh straight year with 10.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game thus far this season. He's a strong rebounder who can protect the rim much like Adams, with both players primarily feeding off pick-and-roll-heavy point guards who find them cutting to the basket.
Clarke is currently sidelined with an Achilles injury, although he'd be a good long-term addition to the Hawks frontcourt. LaRavia was the No. 19 overall pick in the 2022 draft, and Atlanta picks up an additional first-round selection to use or dangle as trade bait in future deals."
This is an interesting deal for the Hawks. In the short term, it would mean Okongwu would be elevated to be the starting center, which I do think he is ready for. Capela is still playing well for the Hawks, but Okongwu has a higher ceiling and at some point, the Hawks are going to want to see him as the starter. The Hawks are also short on draft capital after sending out picks for Dejounte Murray and the 2024 lottery-protected would give Atlanta some needed draft capital. Clarke is a good player who is important to the Grizzlies, but it is unknown whether he is going to play this season after being injured last season.
I don't hate this trade for the Hawks, but I don't think the Grizzlies are going to want to make this move. They are 0-5 to start the season and star guard Ja Morant still has 20 games on his suspension and it could take him a bit to get settled back in after such a long layoff. I don't see the Grizzlies giving up a talented young player like Clarke just to have a stop-gap player at center in what might be a lost season in Memphis. I could always be wrong, but I don't think Memphis is going to be making the playoffs this season with or without Capela and they will wait till next season to make moves.
To be clear, these are rumors and ideas, nothing more right now. I think Capela's name is probably going to be mentioned whenever trades do get discussed due to Okongwu's deal. We will see what happens when the trade deadline gets closer.
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