The Dallas Mavericks have already made changes to their center position this offseason. The first move involved using the NBA Draft to land Dereck Lively II, then shortly after, they acquired Richaun Holmes in part of a trade with the Sacramento Kings.
Before either of those outcomes transpired, a veteran center the Mavs were linked to frequently in trade rumors was Clint Capela of the Atlanta Hawks. The rumor involved Dallas potentially trading down from the No. 10 spot to 15 in the draft order, but the Hawks wanted Josh Green to be included, which the Mavs were unwilling to do.
According to Marc Stein, one can "safely presume" the Mavs would be in favor of the Hawks being the landing spot for Pascal Siakam in order to acquire Capela as the third team involved in a trade framework.
"You can safely presume that the Dallas Mavericks are rooting for Atlanta to win the trade race for Toronto's Siakam ... and that they’re also hoping such a trade features Hawks center Clint Capela as opposed to a strictly De’Andre Hunter-centric deal," Stein wrote.
The Mavs did re-sign Dwight Powell to a three-year, $12 million contract in free agency, adding him to a center rotation that could involve Holmes and Lively. However, the team did often utilize Maxi Kleber at the five in small ball lineups last season, which could factor into the equation.
Capela averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 65 games in 2022-23. He could serve as an established option to add rim protection and rim rolling alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
In terms of the financial ramifications, Capela is beginning a two-year, $45.9 million contract, meaning he could serve as a stopgap option as Lively develops. The Mavs have avoided trading their only current trade eligible first-round pick (2027) this offseason. The cost to acquire Capela to facilitate a Siakam deal could perhaps be more favorable than a direct two-team swap.
Perhaps most important of all is Siakam's stance on signing a contract extension with a team that acquires him. So far, his camp has signaled an unwillingness to sign an extension as he enters the final year of his current contract. With such a stance, it would be a risky move for a trade suitor to complete a deal.
Grant Afseth is a Dallas Mavericks reporter for DallasBasketball.com and an NBA reporter for NBA Analysis Network. He previously covered the Indiana Pacers and NBA for CNHI's Kokomo Tribune and various NBA teams for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. Follow him on Twitter (@grantafseth), Facebook (@grantgafseth), and YouTube (@grantafseth).
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