Would Oklahoma City Target Clint Capela in a Trade?

Oklahoma City's roster construction has been clear throughout the rebuild: Accumulate young, versatile talent that can potentially do it all.

Many fans clamored for a center addition to Oklahoma City’s height-deprived roster a season ago, and with the off-season now in full swing, opinions haven’t changed. Even though the Thunder adds Chet Holmgren back into the equation shortly, it’s still a team lacking front court depth and big bodies to get rebounds against the NBA’s dominant big men.

There are many trades floating around throughout the off-season, but one common proposal over the past week has been Atlanta dumping Clint Capela in Oklahoma City. Would the Thunder be interested in trading for the 29-year old big man — and his contract? Honestly, the answer might be yes, but not for the conventional reasoning of the Thunder needing a big bodied center. Oklahoma City has room to take on Capela’s contract, and if the team could get any assets back — whether that means draft capital or young players — it could very well be worth it.

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OKC has been known to take on overpriced contracts and give older players a chance to shine and provide veteran leadership. While Capela is only 29-years old, the NBA has transitioned out of a back-to-the-basket league and the Thunder seem completely bought into that philosophy. In the last few years, the team drafted Aleksej Pokusevski, Ousmane Dieng and Chet Holmgren — all completely different players, but each have an element of ball handling, creation and unicorn-like abilities.

Capela, a 6-foot-10 double-double machine has been a useful player in Houston and Atlanta even though his capabilities are somewhat limited. The Thunder wouldn’t make the trade with hopes he’s a high-level starter. If Capela accepted a reduced role and a veteran voice in the locker room, while the Thunder collected assets through the trade, it might make sense for both sides.

With Holmgren returning to the lineup, Oklahoma City wouldn’t ask Capela to start or play heavy minutes, but he could provide some relief in certain matchups. Atlanta would likely be inclined to move on from his contract and this is likely one of the last summers that the Thunder will have cap space to capitalize on.

It doesn’t make sense to trade for Capela to get a high-level starting center, but if the Thunder want to take on a contract and bring in new assets in the process, it could be something to think about.

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