The Atlanta Hawks have carried out above expectations to start out the 2024-25 season; They might have suffered brutal losses to the Washington Wizards, and they’re coming off a brutal 30-point loss to the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night time, however general the Hawks have develop into one of many younger groups essentially the most thrilling within the NBA. successful a 13-12 document of their NBA Cup conflict in opposition to the New York Knicks on Wednesday.
This brought about a slight twist within the story when it got here to the Hawks’ plans on the commerce market. Anticipated to be among the many groups promoting out and shifting towards a youth motion, the emergence of Jalen Johnson and Dyson Daniels, amongst others, has made Atlanta aggressive prior to anticipated – which may then result in a change of plans .
Nonetheless, the Hawks might need a possibility to stroll the road between remaining aggressive and with the ability to promote not less than one in all their veteran items, which could not be lengthy for the group anyway. To that finish, that is the participant the Hawks nonetheless want to take a look at buying and selling, though the issue is there is probably not a lot of a marketplace for this participant.
The Hawks should transfer on from the Clint Capela period
When the Hawks introduced Clint Capela to the group in 2020, the group made a concerted effort to enhance its protection whereas giving Trae Younger an unimaginable pick-and-roll dance accomplice. However that was 4 years in the past; Capela is clearly in decline, with the group phasing him out as the principle man within the center.
Heading into their NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup in opposition to the Knicks, Capela is averaging the fewest minutes per recreation in his tenure with the Hawks, with head coach Quin Snyder permitting him simply 22.7 minutes per night time. In truth, since turning into a high quality huge man with the Houston Rockets throughout the 2015-16 season, that is the second-lowest minutes per recreation common of the rim-running heart’s profession .
The Hawks’ heart place has been beneath shared possession since 2021, with Onyeka Okongwu strengthening his place for extra minutes with every passing yr. Okongwu can also be essentially the most versatile defensive huge man, and he was extra brazen when stepping as much as the three-point line – a significant enhance for the group.
Attributable to reducing minutes and being phased out because the group’s beginning heart, Capela is averaging the worst numbers of his profession because the 2016-17 season, and now that he is 30, it ought to solely worsen from right here.
This then makes it crucial for the Hawks to commerce Capela; not solely is he in decline and his significance to the group has diminished, however he’s additionally within the ultimate yr of his contract, incomes $22.3 million. It is higher for the Hawks to get one thing of worth for Capela as a substitute of dropping him for nothing in free company.
However the issue is that there is probably not a lot demand on the commerce marketplace for a fading huge man making that a lot cash. Comparable gamers similar to Daniel Gafford and Mitchell Robinson, to call a number of, make somewhat greater than half of what Capela makes, and though Gafford gave the Washington Wizards a first-round draft decide in Again, he was beneath contract for a number of seasons and is youthful than Capela by 4 years.
So finally, there’s not a lot the Hawks can do aside from, maybe, wait out an harm to a different group’s beginning heart (which clearly nobody desires to occur), which may then making the prospect of a Capela commerce even better. enticing.
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Larry Nance Jr. could also be a wonderfully logical commerce candidate, however the Hawks insisted on maintaining him on the town regardless that he’s within the ultimate yr of his contract. Bogdan Bogdanovic may very well be of curiosity to different contending groups, however his affordable contract and plug-and-play abilities make him a wonderfully fascinating participant for the Hawks to maintain.
That leaves De’Andre Hunter; It is no secret the Hawks have been buying Hunter for some time now, though they’ve had issue discovering a purchaser given the virtually 70 million {dollars} this stays in his contract which runs till the 2026-27 season. Hunter, nevertheless, has been enjoying effectively anyway, so it isn’t like Atlanta is determined to maneuver him proper now, even when the prospect of getting his contract off the books appears fairly interesting.
