The Atlanta Hawks made a significant decision three games ago.
They moved long-time starting center Clint Capela to the bench in favor of 2020 first-round pick Onyeka Okongwu. The Hawks are 0-3 since that decision, a point punctuated by their 122-119 to a Toronto Raptors team that had 11 wins coming into the contest.
The Hawks also piqued the interest of rival teams, who are now keeping tabs on Capela’s availability ahead of the 2025 trade deadline.
“With Capela’s recent move to the bench in the final year of his contract at $22.27 million, executives around the league are monitoring the veteran center on the trade market,” Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto wrote on January 23.
Capela is averaging less than a double-double for the first time since 2017-18.
His impact has waned. Capela now not only trails Okonwu – who has made tremendous strides – but is down to seventh in on-off differential, per Cleaning The Glass.
His health, and that of fellow reserve big Larry Nance Jr., complicates matters. Capela missed his first game of the 2024-25 season with knee soreness. The Hawks need his health to hold up, at least until they can find a taker, which could have been a factor in their decision.
However, the Hawks would be taking a gamble moving Capela before Nance returns.
Nance has missed 12 straight games following surgery on his hand. He is, however, getting close to returning, per reports during the loss to the Raptors.
He has also drawn trade interest, and he spoke about wanting a larger role before getting sidelined by his injury. None of that can happen until the Hawks get healthy enough to withstand moving on from someone, though, which has proven rare this season.
Hawks’ lineup change yielding interesting early results
Finances are just one part of the equation, with Okongwu in Year 1 of a $61.9 million contract and Capela on the back end of a two-year, $46 million pact. Their production will ultimately be what determines whether or not the decision was sound though.
So far, it has been extremely close.
In the incredibly small sample size of three games for Okongwu as a starter, he is averaging 14.0 points, 10.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.
In two games off the bench, Capela is averaging 14.0 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 2.0 blocks per game while his 64.7% field goal mark and 85.7% clip at the free throw line are both better than his former understudy’s numbers.
It is far too soon to draw any significant conclusions about the switch.
The Hawks need those splits to differentiate further to help clarify which path they should pursue before the deadline.