Former NBA rebounding leader being shopped on trade market

Feb 18, 2023; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; The NBA logo on the court at Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Teams in need on the boards may have a good option ahead of the Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline.

NBA writer Jake Fischer reported to Substack this week that the Atlanta Hawks are shopping center Clint Capela and would like to trade him away before the deadline. Capela is currently in the final year of his contract at $22.3 million.

The former first-round pick Capela is a nifty piece at 6-foot-10 with a 7-foot-5 wingspan. He led the NBA in rebounding during the 2020-21 season (14.3 per game), started during Atlanta’s Eastern Conference Finals run later that year as well, and continues to do well this season with 10.0 points and 9.4 rebounds in just 23.0 minutes per game for the Hawks.

But Capela does not really fit Atlanta’s timeline at 30 years old and is currently blocking 24-year-old Hawks center Onyeka Okongwu, who has higher offensive upside, from seeing greater minutes. The Hawks are once again in basketball purgatory this year at 14-14 and could end up moving Capela along with another interesting name on their roster.