Hawks Acquire Clint Capela
The Hawks acquired Clint Capela from the Houston Rockets late Tuesday night in a four-team trade that also involved the Nuggets and Timberwolves. ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news first.
Atlanta will receive Capela and Nêné from the Rockets while sending Evan Turner and the Nets' 2020 lottery-protected first-round pick to Minnesota. Houston received Robert Covington from the Wolves while Denver traded Malik Beasley and Jauncho Hernangomez for Houston's 2020 first-rounder and a bevy of fringe rotation players.
For Atlanta, this fills major short- and long-term needs. The Hawks have been looking to upgrade their center rotation virtually all season, and Capela will be a massive upgrade over the big men Atlanta had. He has established himself as a well above-average center who should immediately help anchor a shaky Hawk defense.
Offensively, he is among the best roll men in the league. Capela has great hands, long arms, and solid leaping ability around the rim, which will allow him to finish lobs from Trae Young in the pick-and-roll. He has long had an outstanding two-man chemistry with James Harden, and the Hawks hope that will translate in his new partnership with Young. Capela averaged 13.9 points and 13.8 rebounds per game with the Rockets.
The 25-year-old Capela makes under $19 million per year through the 2023 season, giving Atlanta a young, promising piece at a team-friendly price. With Capela locked in for multiple years, the Hawks should have more flexibility in future offseasons to extend their other young players or add bigger names in free agency. Atlanta projects to have roughly $66 million in cap space this summer.
This may not be the Hawks' last move before the trade deadline, but it will most likely be their splashiest. Trade talks involving John Collins seem to have stalled, and Atlanta now has a stronger core than it did before. It's far too late to make a push for the postseason now, but the Hawks can hope to close the season with some positive momentum and carry it forward into the seasons to come.
Update: The Hawks will waive Chandler Parsons to make room for Capela and Nêné. Parsons makes $25.1 million this season and hasn't played since Dember 27. He sustained a concussion and whiplash in a car accident in January and has spent the last couple of weeks away from the team rehabbing in California.
It appears likely Atlanta will waive Nêné, creating an open roster spot to be used on a free agent or in a subsequent trade.
