Atlanta Hawks: 5 reasons to pass on pursuing Ben Simmons

Reason the Atlanta Hawks should pass on Simmons No. 2: Clint Capela is a top center in this league

Before Clint Capela signed his two-year, $46 million extension this offseason, you might have been able to convince us this was a viable option. More than likely the deal would not be a 1-for-1. The 6ers don’t need Capela, as good as he is. That means getting a third (and perhaps fourth) team involved as we have often seen when the contracts get bigger.

Again, on top of disrupting team chemistry, that’s adding more layers to the salary cap than simply retaining a player that is, you know, good.

Let’s say the “tension” from early last season between Collins and Young re-surfaces (not likely) and the Hawks decide moving on from Collins would ultimately be best (again, not likely). Pairing Simmons and Capela in the frontcourt is a virtual non-starter.

We’ve also documented the impact Capela has on Collins on the floor and the cover he provides for Young defensively.

Simmons is a terrific perimeter defender. And he can legitimately guard every position on the court when needed. But asking him to bang with other centers, including the bruising Embiid, full time is probably not the best use of his skillset.

If we’re being honest, the same holds for Collins who is listed at two inches shorter and five pounds lighter than Simmons. Capela is integral to the makeup of the rest of the roster and Simmons doesn’t have the offense to compensate for what would be lost on the other end of the court.

With the point guard, power forward, and now center under contract until 2023 (and the former two until 2025) the Hawks are quickly running out of places to theoretically put Simmons.