The Atlanta Hawks are relishing the opportunities that lie ahead of them this season, and that is wise with so much left unsettled as the offseason approaches. In addition to Trae Young’s future, the Hawks have several other established players to decide on, including Clint Capela.
Capela, 30, is averaging 8.9 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists this season. His points and boards are both lows since at least the 2016-17 season.
He is also on an expiring two-year, $46 million contract and is expected to seek a new team.
“After being benched in favor of Onyeka Okongwu and dangled in trade talks before the deadline, the early expectation is Hawks center Clint Capela will sign elsewhere in unrestricted free agency this summer, league sources told HoopsHype,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto wrote on March 28.
Capela, who posted 9.3 PPG and 9.0 RPG as a starter earlier in the season, has appeared in 55 games. He could miss the rest of the regular season, with the Hawks having nine games left on the slate.
They are tracking to make the postseason, so Capela still has a chance to suit up again and make an impact at a critical time.
However, the Hawks have already shown they are going with Okongwu as the starter.
They have young forward Mouhamed Gueye, who is a 4 but could moonlight at the 5 if he bulks up during the offseason. The Hawks could also use one of two projected selections in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft to select a big man.
For Capela, the future is far from certain. Despite trade interest in him before the deadline, Capela is an aging player with a fairly extensive injury history that includes knee issues.
He is also expected to take a pay cut on his next deal.
Clint Capela projected to average ‘$5-$14 million’ on next contract
The Hawks acquired Capela in 2020, and he helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals while leading the league in rebounds. He also led the league in offensive boards in 2023-24, but his 56.4% true shooting mark is the third-worst of his career.
All of these things will likely factor into Capela’s next deal.
“Capela should find suitors elsewhere, although he'll undoubtedly be taking a pay cut from his $22.3 million salary this season,” Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus wrote on March 25. “He should sign a new deal in the $5-14 million-per-year range.”
The Hawks can sign a backup bigman on a deal that totals what Capela could still command, and there is no guarantee he would even want to return given how things have unfolded.
In many ways, the writing appears to have been on the wall long ago.
The closer the season comes to ending, however, the closer the Hawks and Capela get to potentially parting ways as the team continues its transition to a younger, more dynamic group featuring young forwards Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher.