5 Atlanta Hawks who may not return come next season

2. Clint Capela

Clint Capela has proven to be a more than reliable starting center in his nine NBA seasons. Having anchored the defense of both the James Harden-era Rockets and the modern-day Hawks, Capela has proven time and time again that he is a capable starter, one that would likely have interest from quite a few teams should he become available.

The Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers come to mind as teams who could use an offensive rebounding specialist like Capela, while the Hawks could pocket a solid return.

While he could continue to provide value in Atlanta, it may not be wise to retain a $21 million center who will be entering his age-29 season if the roster undergoes a makeover. Rolling with Okongwu plus whatever potential bigs the team would add via the draft, free agency, or in return for Capela is the way to go.

The one asterisk next to a Capela deal is that the likelihood of a trade suffers if Trae Young remains in Atlanta, which now seems more likely than it did a month ago.

If general manager Landry Fields and the rest of Atlanta’s front office decide it’s truly time to call it quits on this current team, moving on from Capela could prove both lucrative and necessary.