As almost all teams have undertaken plenty of new contracts in 2018 NBA Free Agency, the Atlanta Hawks have obstinately remained quiet in the market.
Many big deals have taken place in 2018 free agency, but one player who remains out in the cold is the Rockets’ big man Clint Capela, who is a restricted free agent this offseason.
The Rockets have had a rather difficult free agency period, as they missed on the biggest fish of all time LeBron James, who opted for the glitz and glamor of Los Angeles as a member of the storied Lakers franchise (a situation the Hawks might be able to help with).
Looking past that slim chance of landing The King, the Rockets also lost two key members of their rotation from the 2017-18 season: Trevor Ariza and Luc-Richard Mbah a Moute, who signed with the Suns and Clippers, respectively.
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Beyond that, the team is in danger of losing Capela who seemingly broke out in the 2018 playoffs – outplaying the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert consecutively. Capela was reportedly looking for a 4-year/$100 million deal, but the Rockets only offered 4 years at $60 million, according to Tim Macmahon from ESPN.
This is where the Hawks could jump in. After the Chicago Bulls inked their restricted free agent Zach LaVine to a huge 4-year/$81 million deal, the Hawks are one of the few teams with a lot of cap space still available – roughly $23 million worth of it – with which they could put in an offer for Capela’s much-needed services.
Many fans and pundits expected the Hawks to dip into the extremely deep big men group at the top of this draft class, which included high-upside talents like DeAndre Ayton, Mohamed Bamba, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr.
Instead they opted for a ballhandler, drafting their point guard of the future in Trae Young at 5th overall. That leaves a rather gaping hole at center, where they have Dewayne Dedmon, Mike Muscala and Miles Plumlee on the roster for next season. Beyond that… the team is currently taking applications.
Though the league is definitely going in the direction of small ball, a talented and multifaceted big man is still one of the most important positions in the league and Capela has proven himself invaluable as an athletic, rim-running roll man as well as a savage rim protector.
Beyond that, Capela showcased an ability to defend on the perimeter remarkably well for a big man, which is an important skill set if the Hawks were to, I don’t know, make the playoffs during his time with the team (though they’re not particularly close to that level at this juncture).
With both Second Team All-Rookie member John Collins and Omari Spellman likely on the roster for a good while going into the future, they are both slightly undersized for some of the most physically impressive centers in the league. Capela is not lacking in that category, with a rock-solid 6-foot-10, 240-pound frame that looks far more imposing than both Collins and Spellman on the court.
Capela is also coming off his best NBA season in 2017-18, where he saw action in a career-high 74 games and led the entire NBA in field goal percentage (65.2) as well as effective field goal percentage (65.3). He notched career-highs in points per game (13.9), rebounds per game (10.8) and blockers per game (1.9).
He was a hugely important part of the Rockets’ offense, as a gravitational center and James Harden lob target. But it was on defense where Capela truly shone, as he was an absolute force on the less glamorous end – doing the dirty work on the boards and mixing it up with drivers and opposing big men.
Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce has preached a defensive mindset for the team going forward – though the selection of Young and Kevin Huerter does not particularly express that same idea.
However, if Atlanta were to add Capela in free agency, that defensive-minded play style would immediately come into play, and the team would have an extremely athletic frontcourt going forward with Capela at center and Collins at the four (with Spellman coming in on off the bench as a change-of-pace floor spacer at either position).
The Hawks would likely not want to pay Capela the full size of that requested 4-year/$100 million contract he was looking for, but if he projects to be a defensive anchor for years to come – which is certainly within the realm of possibility since Capela is only 24 years old, he might be worth such an immense investment.
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Free agency has been roiling with rumors and activity, but the Hawks have not jumped into the fray in the slightest. If they were to land one of the best available players, they will have been patient with good reason – though taking on dead money from other teams would also make good use of the team’s offseason.