Deal secures Clint Capela for the next four seasons and pays him over $82 million; Atlanta continue to commit to Nate McMillan's promising young core - including Trae Young and John Collins - that reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season
Thursday 2 September 2021 10:55, UK
The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a contract extension with center Clint Capela, the team announced on Wednesday night.
According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, it's a two-year, $46-million extension for Capela, who had two years left on his current deal and is now under contract through the 2024-25 season.
It brings the 27-year-old's contract up to four years and over $82 million in total.
The Hawks picked up Capela during the 2019-20 season, but he never played a game in that campaign as he recovered from a foot injury.
Last season was the center's first with the Hawks and he impressed, averaging 15.2 points per game and an NBA-leading 14.3 rebounds per game. He also added tw0 blocks per game and shot 59.4% overall.
The Hawks have also re-signed young big man John Collins, Capela's frontcourt partner and a restricted free agent this offseason, to a five-year deal worth a reported $125 million. That move came on the same day the Hawks signed All-Star guard Trae Young to a five-year extension worth a reported $207 million.
Those moves ensured Collins and Young are with the Hawks until 2025-26, while Capela's deal keeps him on the same track in terms of timeline as well.
Capela is the fulcrum of the Hawks' defense and forged nice chemistry with Young on alley-oops and pick-and-roll plays last season. The Hawks do have a capable young backup for Capela in Onyeka Okongwu, but he is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. As a result, Atlanta added depth in the frontcourt by picking up veteran big man Gorgui Dieng.
Aside from the big contracts the Hawks doled out to Collins, Young and now, Capela, it worked to maintain its depth. Lou Williams re-signed on a one-year deal and veteran forward Solomon Hill is coming back as well, while the Hawks were also lauded on Draft night for picking Jalen Johnson and Sharife Cooper.
Additionally, the Hawks made sure the head coach that guided them on their playoff run did not leave the fold either. Nate McMillan had the interim tag removed from his title after he led Atlanta to a 27-11 mark in the regular season and on its standout playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals - only the second time in 54 years they have advanced past the second round.
The Hawks suffered a key injury during the Conference Finals when Young, the team's leading scorer, missed two games with a bone bruise in his right foot after inadvertently stepping on an official and twisting his ankle in Game 3. That injury essentially ended Atlanta's hopes of a Finals berth, and the eventual champions Milwaukee advanced, but a bright future is in place.
In agreeing to deals with Young and Collins, the Hawks have a clear picture of their future for the first time in several seasons. Those deals - coupled with a promising young core that also includes Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic - make the Hawks a serious threat in the East for years to come.
