Atlanta Hawks: The implications of Clint Capela signing his extension
The Atlanta Hawks announced that they have signed Clint Capela for a further two years on top of his current contract. The two parties agreed to a two-year, $46 million deal which will kick in at the end of the 2022-23 season.
This means that the Hawks have three members of their starting five locked in until the end of the 2025 season. If Bogdan Bogdanovic opts into the final year of his deal, then they will have four members locked in until the end of the 2024 season. This gives them ample time to develop championship-level chemistry.
However, what this does do is it means that the Hawks have more the $100 million in committed salary for the 2023-24 season with only six player under contract. The way Capela played all season meant that he was worth it for the team, he put up some unbelievable numbers and should have been higher up in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.
The next few seasons just got more interesting for the Atlanta Hawks
More from Soaring Down South
- Start, Bench, Cut: Sorting through the Hawks’ power forward options
- Hawks’ Bogdan Bogdanovic reacts to earning FIBA World Cup championship bid
- When does training camp start for the Atlanta Hawks?
- Grade the trade: Hawks deal Trae Young to Clippers in shocking proposal
- Dejounte Murray rips NBA 2K after Atlanta Hawks ratings reveal
The Hawks are facing the issues that teams that are close to contending usually have. They have a number of highly talented players who they need to pay and only a limited amount of cap space. The good thing for the Hawks is that they are going to be contenders for the next few seasons now.
However, drilling down to individual player levels, it could have potentially huge ramifications. Onyeka Okongwu was selected with the sixth pick in the 2020 NBA draft. He was taken as a potential replacement for John Collins and to backup Capela with the possibility to replace him in the long term.
Well Collins has resigned, and Capela is now a long term contract with Gorgui Dieng as the backup until Okongwu returns from his shoulder injury. This could mean that Okongwu is going to be put up as a potential trade piece.
It also means that there will be less money around for the time that Kevin Huerter enters restricted free agency. This is the same time that De’Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish are due for their potential rookie extensions meaning that one of these three, probably Reddish given the rumors floating around.
Next. Three improvements Clint Capela needs to make. dark
Whatever happens, the Hawks, assuming that none of their big four suffer long-term injuries, will be competitive on the court. The front office will have to work out the rest.