The Los Angeles Lakers have entered the 2024-25 regular season with a significant question mark at center. Anthony Davis is one of the best players in the NBA, but he's made requests in both 2023 and 2024 for the Lakers to improve the depth at the 5-spot.
Thankfully, it only took one game for a potentially perfect fit to emerge as a realistic trade target: Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela.
Capela, 30, is playing his 11th NBA season, including his fifth with the Hawks. He'll become an unrestricted free agent in 2025, making his expiring $22,265,280 salary one of the most attractive figures in the Association.
In the season opener, it became abundantly clear why many believe Atlanta could let Capela walk in free agency or even pursue a trade before the deadline.
Capela played relatively well, posting six points, seven rebounds, one offensive board, one assist, one block, and one steal in 20 minutes of action. During the same game, however, his 23-year-old backup, Onyeka Okongwu, reminded the masses of why the Hawks selected him at No. 6 overall in the 2020 NBA Draft.
Okongwu went off to the tune of 28 points, eight rebounds, four offensive boards, one assist, and three blocks while shooting 11-of-12 from the field—thus starting the clock on what is seeming more and more like an inevitable Capela trade.
As Onyeka Okongwu rises, Clint Capela becomes perfect Lakers target
As Atlanta begins to reassess the timeline along which a Capela trade could become tangible, the Lakers should be picking up the phone to gauge the asking price. The 30-year-old center would be a dream fit in Los Angeles, thriving in the exact areas the purple and gold need help.
The opportunity cost will go a long way toward determining the validity of potential Lakers interest, but the on-court dynamic would be nothing short of compelling.
Capela boasts career averages of 12.2 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.7 offensive boards, 1.0 assist, and 1.5 blocks per game. In 2023-24, he tallied 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, a league-leading 4.6 offensive boards, 1.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks in just 25.8 minutes per outing.
By comparison, the Lakers averaged an NBA-worst 8.2 offensive rebounds per game in 2023-24—making arguably the best offensive rebounder in the Association the ultimate trade target.
Capela also continues to thrive as a drop defender despite the presence of teammates who aren't exactly defensively inclined. In Los Angeles, he'd pair with Davis to create one of the best defensive duos in the NBA, as well as an elite offensive-rebounding tandem.
That alone makes this a possibility worth evaluating, especially when one considers that Los Angeles could move off of Capela's contract as soon as next summer if it doesn't work out.
The obvious question will be what the Lakers can offer to get this deal done, as Capela has a salary of roughly $22.27 million that could be tough to match. Jarred Vanderbilt and Gabe Vincent would be a package that could get the ball rolling, but that would create voids along the defensive perimeter.
It's a hurdle that Rob Pelinka will need to find the proper way to overcome, but on opening night, the Lakers received an early look at the perfect impact player to target in the coming months.
