NBA Rumors: Hawks still open to trading Clint Capela
The Atlanta Hawks' busy offseason might not be complete. Atlanta traded John Collins to Utah after the NBA Draft, ending years of trade speculation around the former first-round pick and opening up more minutes for A.J. Griffin and Jalen Johnson. Now, the other member of the Hawks' starting frontcourt is available for the right price.
In a recent episode of The Hoop Collective Podcast with ESPN's Brian Windhorst and Tim MacMahon, it was noted that Clint Capela is "on the (trade) block." To take it one step further, the Dallas Mavericks are mentioned as a team interested in acquiring a new starting center.
A Capela trade has felt inevitable for a while. The Hawks face a complicated organizational crossroads: Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are ready to compete, but the roster around them isn't good enough and ownership is notoriously cheap. Meanwhile, Atlanta has a lot of compelling young talent in need of minutes — Griffin, Johnson, and most notably in Capela's case, Onyeka Okongwu.
The Hawks owe Capela $20.6 million this season and $22.3 million next season before he hits free agency in 2025. Relative to the rapidly expanding NBA cap ceiling, that's an extremely fair contract for a veteran who should still impact winning for at least a few more years. Capela averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks on 65.6 TS% last season. He has some recent injury history to be concerned with, but he's only 29 years old.
The Mavs are the easiest to fathom as a potential trade partner, but plenty of teams could use a bankable rim protector and vertical threat like Capela. He's losing a bit of his lateral movement ability, but he can still wall off the paint defensively, inhale rebounds, and elevate for easy finishes at the rim.
NBA Rumors: Daryl Morey hints at failed Sixers trade for Cam Whitmore
The Philadelphia 76ers did not own a pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, but that didn't stop Daryl Morey from trying to trade into the first round for a "prominent player" who fell further than expected. A simple analysis of context clues would seem to hint at Cam Whitmore being the player Morey is referring to.
Whitmore played locally at Villanova and was the No. 6 prospect on the FanSided big board. His fall, the result of dicey medical information and concerns about his quiet nature, was completely unexpected. He's already making executives around the league look foolish.
Ironically, Whitmore ended up with Morey's former team, the Rockets, at No. 20. He won Summer League MVP, showcasing the explosive downhill scoring ability that led many to consider him the best wing prospect in the draft. Morey is one of the highest paid executives in the NBA for a reason. He knows his stuff, and he was wise to position Philadelphia for a run at Whitmore.
Ultimately, the Sixers were unable to get anything done. Morey's somewhat short on movable assets at the moment and Philadelphia has bigger fish to fry with James Harden's trade request. Had there been mutual interest between Houston and Harden, maybe there could've been a sign-and-trade orchestrated around Whitmore's rookie contract rights. That said, Houston went in a different direction and the Sixers ultimately couldn't put together a package to move higher than No. 20 without a first or second-round pick of their own to trade.
NBA Rumors: Spurs almost challenged Lakers for Austin Reaves
Austin Reaves was one of the most anticipated restricted free agents of the summer. He ended up signing a four-year, $53.8 million contract to remain in Los Angeles, which felt like a serious underpay. The market for Reaves ultimately wasn't robust enough to force the Lakers into a more lucrative offer.
That said, Reaves did have a couple almost-suitors from the state of Texas. Michael Scotto and Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype recently dove into Reaves' free agency, which included interest from the San Antonio Spurs and the Houston Rockets.
Both teams operated with significant cap space this summer. The Rockets were big spenders, ultimately spending their way out of the Reaves race with Fred VanVleet's three-year, $130 million contract. The Spurs, however, pondered an offer worth $21 million annually but were ultimately scared off by the Lakers' threat to match any contract. Plus, San Antonio now has the cap space to absorb bad contracts around the league in exchange for more draft capital.
Reaves would have made a great deal of sense for San Antonio, less so for Houston. The Spurs still don't have a ton of proven guard depth behind Tre Jones and Devin Vassell. Reaves looked the part of a legitimate point guard during LeBron James' injury stint last season and his scoring craft is remarkable. Not many players possess Reaves' talent for drawing fouls and finishing at awkward angles near the rim. That said, there's unavoidable risk in spending over $20 million per year on a 25-year-old NBA sophomore with less than one full season of sustained productivity.
The Spurs are taking the slow and patient route with Victor Wembanyama. That's ultimately the smart move.