With the exception of De’Andre Hunter, the Atlanta Hawks have the majority of their core signed to long-term deals. There has not been much talk from either camp about resolving their $20 million gap but according to Hunter and Landry Feilds on media day, there are active talks going on.
Still, even without Hunter in the fold, the Hawks have Trae Young on a five-year deal, John Collins and AJ Griffin on four-year deals. On top of that, they have Clint Capela and Jalen Johnson who are locked into three more seasons.
They also have Bogdan Bogdanovic, Dejounte Murray, Onyeka Okongwu, and Tyrese Martin locked in for two seasons. Of these contracts, we explored that Murray has the best contract on the team. So who does Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report believe is the owner of the Hawks’ worst contract?
Which member of the Atlanta Hawks core has the worst contract?
Ever since Capela signed his extension last season, there have been elements of the Hawks faithful and the Hawks media. who have lamented the deal. The fact that he was unable to be traded thanks to the extension that he signed for the next two years meant that he could not be traded last season.
If he still had the form of the season before that then no one would have had an issue. However, when Onyeka Okongwu came back from his shoulder surgery, the sophomore was able to keep Capela on the bench down the stretch of games thanks to his inspirational play on both ends of the floor.
Do not be surprised if Okongwu is able to break into the starting lineup this season that the Hawks look to trade Capela. His $18.6 million deal last season was palatable, the next two seasons are worth $23.0 million each season. This contract could actually stand in the way of securing Hunter long-term.
Still, the Hawks will not look to move Capela on prior to the season starting. They will see how the team plays together and if they are competitive then no trade will be made. However, if they are not, look for Capela to be the first player traded by the Hawks this season.