The Atlanta Hawks decided to be active prior to the trade deadline, dealing away De’Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic to do a bit of retooling of the roster around Trae Young. However, the Hawks were not able to trade away a certain veteran player who is likely to walk in free agency and depart after a few seasons with the team.
According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, “the early expectation is Hawks center Clint Capela will sign elsewhere in unrestricted free agency this summer”. Capela saw his 2024-25 campaign come to an end early after he sustained a ligament injury in the fourth metacarpal of his left hand. Prior to that unfortunate injury, the Hawks have already begun phasing him out of the lineup, demoting him to the second unit in favor of Onyeka Okongwu.
Capela has been an incredible servant for the Hawks franchise since Atlanta traded for him in 2020. He started 313 games for the Hawks and was an instrumental part of their lineup for a few years, most notably building incredible pick-and-roll chemistry with Young at the heart of the team’s offense.
The center from Switzerland also provided a reliable hand on the defensive end of the floor and he cleaned up on the glass, as he was a central force in making sure that the Hawks at least put up a respectable effort on defense to complement their Young-led offensive attack.
In five seasons with the Hawks, Capela averaged 11.8 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while shooting 59.9 percent from the field. The 30-year-old has certainly been the piece Atlanta hoped he would be for them when they traded for him five years ago, but it looks like both parties are ready to move on to the next chapter of their lives.
Clint Capela’s post-Hawks life: Where to?
Capela has obviously slowed down with age, and his tendency to pick up injuries here and there have only sapped him of the athleticism that made him one of the most fearsome rim-runners in the league. But there is certainly still a place for Capela on winning teams as he navigates what is likely to be the post-Hawks part of his career.
The 30-year-old center could angle for a starting job on a team such as the Washington Wizards, and even the Phoenix Suns, a team starting Nick Richards at center, could use a man of Capela’s caliber. Maybe the Los Angeles Lakers, a team lacking size on the interior following the Luka Doncic trade, come calling for him as well.
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