The New York Knicks seemingly remain active this offseason in exploring options at center.
Following the free agent departure of Isaiah Hartenstein, the only Knicks centers with NBA experience are the oft-injured Mitchell Robinson and the seldom-used Jericho Sims. It's widely expected that the Knicks will look to add another big man to round out what is otherwise a solid roster.
According to SNY's Ian Begley, the Knicks have had trade talks with the Atlanta Hawks around center Clint Capela.
"Clint Capela, Atlanta, was one big that the Knicks checked in on," Begley said. "I don’t know how far talks went. I don’t know if they’re active at this very moment. But they did check in on Capela. You can infer that Mitchell Robinson would have probably been in that trade."
Capela, like Robinson, is a rim-running center who thrives in the pick-and-roll on offense and can protect the rim on defense. Over four seasons in Atlanta, Capela has put up strong numbers, averaging 12 points, 12 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game.
While he's 30 years old and arguably not as physical of a presence as Robinson, he does offer one bit of upside: he's available to play more often. Capela has played at least 63 games in eight of the last nine seasons and 70-plus in four of them. Robinson has topped 70 games just once in his career and has only played 31 games in two of the last four seasons.
The Hawks seem to be a natural trade partner with the Knicks, as they appear to be entering a rebuilding or re-tooling era. The Hawks already have three centers on the roster in Capela, Onyeka Okungwu, and Larry Nance Jr., who came to the Hawks in the Dejounte Murray trade earlier in the offseason.
At 23, Okungwu figures to be the Hawks' center of the future, especially with Capela in the last year of his deal.
Nance Jr., though smaller than Capela, would also be an excellent fit for the Knicks.
However, as Begley noted, because of the need for the two teams to match salaries, Robinson would presumably be the outgoing salary. But Capela makes $22 million to Robinson's $14 million, so an additional $8 million in salary would be needed.
Instead of Robinson, the Knicks could look to sign-and-trade Precious Achiuwa by offering Achiuwa the same salary as Capela's to make the trade work. The Hawks, though, would presumably want assets back in that deal, so New York would need to find a way to sweeten the deal.
The Knicks and Hawks could also find a third team to help facilitate the deal.
As Begley said, it's unclear how far talks got and if they are ongoing. But the Hawks remain a natural trade partner for a team in need of a center, and Capela may offer a slight upgrade over Robinson or an excellent addition to the center rotation.
