SZN Trade Rumor: Could Clint Capela be on the move?

SZN Trade Rumor: Could Clint Capela be on the move?

Clint Capela is the starting point guard for the Atlanta Hawks in his fifth season. Although the Hawks had already used the sixth overall pick in the 2020 draft on Onyeka Okongwu, a man who was considered his eventual successor, Capela has held him back in subsequent years and even appeared in all 25 games for the Hawks this season at the start.

In those 25 games, Capela averaged 10.2 points, 9.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.0 blocks in 22.5 minutes per game, his fewest minutes per game since his second year in the league. Still, Capela’s defense remains a big reason the team has bounced back in that area this season (alongside Dyson Daniels and others, of course).

But Capela doesn’t always close out this team’s games, and at age 30, he doesn’t have the same range or drive that we’re used to seeing on the court. And while he’s regained some of his touch around the basket so far this season, his limitations on offense can sometimes reach ugly proportions.

And so he was certainly thrown into a lot of trade machines by fans who wanted to improve that position. And his expiring $22.3 million contract and impending free agency increase the urgency to make money while you can.

But what about the other expiring veteran center on the roster? If Capela clearly has value to this team given the minutes allotment, would Larry Nance Jr. be expendable?

Nance turns 32 on January 1st and is making around $10.4 million this year. He has long been a solid backup who has shot extremely well from distance this season. But he has only appeared in 10 games this season and has largely been left out of the rotation when Jalen Johnson, Capela and Okongwu are all healthy.

Is there interest across the league in either one? And would the Hawks be willing to part with either one? Well, I personally have no insight into this, but national insiders may have some secret information.

This recently led Marc Stein, NBA insider, to shed some light on his Substack blog The Stein Line:

The Hawks continue to reject any trade interest in versatile veteran forward Larry Nance Jr. … just as they did throughout the offseason after Nance came to Atlanta along with defensive star Dyson Daniels as part of the Dejounte Murray trade.

Clint Capela is considered the most available Atlanta big man this trade season. The Knicks explored the possibility of acquiring Capela (who is playing on an expiring $22.3 million contract) before completing their trade in late September to sign Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota.

Now, I can’t imagine the Hawks would attempt to reshape their roster this far ahead of the Thursday, February 6, 2025 deadline. But one date to keep an eye on before then is Dec. 15, when players acquired this offseason like Cody Zeller, who has yet to appear in a single game, can be moved for the first time.

What do you say? Should the Hawks deal one of their centers?

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