The ending to the Atlanta Hawks season has everyone scrambling to figure out how they can make it to the next level. For some, that means paying up for John Collins, no matter what. Others might see Collins’ potential vacated cap space and say the team can spring for a pricey free agent. The options there will be limited, however, hence our focus on the trade market.
Along those lines, we went through several trade options if the team was looking to replace Collins in the event he signs an offer sheet they don’t want to match or, even less likely, they come to an agreement with him on a sign-and-trade.
But, what if the adjustment, either to keep Collins or in response to his departure, is at center?
The Atlanta Hawks could see a domino effect regardless of what happens with Collins, forcing them into a move or two to offset losing him or to alleviate a tightening cap situation. Because, as much as we’d all like to, they won’t be able to pay everyone.
And with the way their roster is set up, the next likely candidate (a relative term on a roster that went to the Eastern Conference Finals) to be moved is Clint Capela.
The Atlanta Hawks roster is solid but the talents of these centers would put them over the top
General Manager Travis Schlenk has said he has faith in all of the Hawks bigs. But with two years and over $35 million left on his deal, it isn’t hard to imagine a world where Atlanta moves on from the 2021 rebounding champ. But the only way they should (and like would) do so is if the incoming player offered a clear upgrade over the incumbent Capela.
Two areas come to mind: offense and rim protection. Free throw shooting is an issue as well but for big men, that is generally a bonus. Again, the default assumption is everyone returns as there truly aren’t many upgrades.
But, if one of these deals could be made, it’d be hard to see the Hawks passing.
Atlanta Hawks possible upgrade at center No. 1: Karl-Anthony Towns has racked up a lot of numbers in Minnesota with little to show for it
We start with a bang as Karl-Anthony Towns is one of the best young best (and most talented offensive weapons overall) in the league. He’s averaged a double-double every season as a pro and has averaged at least 21 points and 10 boards in each of his last five. He also shot a career-high at the free-throw line in a season where most of his other counting stats were down.
Minnesota has had just one winning season during his time there. Even that season was marred by in-fighting resulting in Jimmy Butler’s infamous practice display.
Towns finished third among centers in scoring and 10th in rebounds.
He suffered even greater loss away from the game, as several family members succumbed to COVID, including his mother. The scene of Towns and his father embracing each other at the latter’s first game after her passing was very emotional.
Minnesota hasn’t given any inkling of even being open to moving Towns. That hasn’t slowed speculation, though, and likely won’t.
Especially with the direction of the Timberwolves unclear pending their sale.
There aren’t many players with KAT’s skill set, let alone centers. He gets dinged for spending too much time on the perimeter but perhaps Nate McMillan, who certainly coached up the Hawks to their strengths this season, can work on that.
He wouldn’t come cheap, with any deal surely costing the Hawks some of their young wing depth. That’s the price when trying to improve and not wanting to bank on development. They’ve done well up until this point. But the bill is coming due on several players. Now might be a good time to consolidate some of those valuable assets.
Atlanta Hawks possible upgrade at center No. 2: Myles Turner offers rim protection and range at some expense of crashing the boards
Myles Turner has been mentioned here before briefly concerning a potential move at center for the Hawks. The 6-foot-11 former Texas Longhorn just turned 25 and has led the NBA in blocks twice in the last three seasons. He’s also a career .770 percent free-throw shooter, including .782 this past season, checking off two boxes on our list.
Add Turner’s range — his 33.5 percent from deep was his lowest since his 2016 — and that’s rim protection at one end and the ability to pull the opposing center away from the basket.
Hawks fans saw how effective that skill set was with Brook Lopez and Bobby Portis of the Milwaukee Bucks. The duo essentially allowed the Bucks guards to attack the paint freely with little resistance from Atlanta bigs caught in a bad way.
https://twitter.com/Original_Turner/status/1406803672823218176
Turner’s rebounding numbers aren’t great and, while some of that can be attributed to playing alongside another prominent big, that has only been for the last two years. So it’s doubtful he would help the Hawks, who were 12th in the postseason in defensive rebound percentage, in that regard.
You can more easily attribute his suppressed scoring to the talent around him. But with his talent, you’d still like to see more aggression consistently.
Again, this is an area where the Hawks can lean into their head coach. McMillan was an assistant when Turner arrived in Indiana and was his head coach for four years before joining the Hawks. Don’t underestimate the impact he and a different setup offensively can have.
The Hawks have enough shooters that he wouldn’t have to post up outside to open up the lane. His range will come into play in transition where he can knock down shots as a trailer.
Atlanta Hawks possible upgrade at center No. 3: Jonas Valanciunas has constantly worked to turn himself into the prototype center
When Jonas Valanciunas entered the league with the Toronto Raptors in 2012, he was skilled. But he was also still confined to the box of being a “traditional” center. Better banging down low than helping to space the floor. In fact, he didn’t even attempt a three for his first few seasons in the NBA after coming over from Lithuania.
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Since then, he hasn’t exactly become a volume three-point shooter (he’s averaged fewer than 1.5 tiples in each of the past four seasons) but he’s an efficient one; knocking down his threes at better than a 35 percent clip.
That threat, similarly to Joel Embiid — who shoots 32 percent from three in his career — who’s acknowledged he just needs to make enough to keep the defense honest.
Valanciunas is also coming off of scoring a career-best 17.1 points per game for Memphis. He’s older and is a worse rim protector than Capela. But it doesn’t hurt that he’ll make about $3 million less and will come off the books than the Hawks big man. That could play a bigger role than most realize. Collins’s situation is in the news now, but the Hawks have Kevin Huerter on the horizon as well as Trae Young’s inevitable max extension.
The pitch to Memphis could be a swap emphasis on Capela adding to their physicality or perhaps offering a surplus perimeter player but that is less likely given it would require a secondary move. You’re not pairing Capela and Valanciunas.
They also have Jaren Jackson Jr who should eventually move to center himself.
In all honesty, the former Toronto Raptor might be the best fit when considering all factors. He scores at least as well as Capela while offering a more diverse offensive skill set. And the Hawks wouldn’t lose much on the boards either. Capela was third in total rebounds and seventh in defensive boards. Valanciunas was ninth and 11th, respectively.