According to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps, the Atlanta Hawks are a team to monitor ahead of the trade deadline in February. The Hawks, who are currently 14-13 and nearly made it to the final round of this year’s NBA Cup, are nearly across the luxury tax threshold this season. As they aim to continue developing their young core, the Hawks reportedly could move on from some of their veterans. This includes Bogdan Bogdanovic, who finished in the top five of Sixth Man of the Year voting last season.
But given where the Hawks are, once again in the play-in race, if teams begin calling about their veterans, sources said, Atlanta will listen. The Hawks are flirting with the luxury tax this season, but once Clint Capela‘s expiring $22 million contract comes off the books after this season, there will be a lot more flexibility for Atlanta to play with to fill out its roster — in addition to clearing an unimpeded path for Okongwu into the starting five.
The one player opposing teams are curious about, specifically, is guard Bogdan Bogdanovic, who is a proven commodity as a scorer and shooter with a contract that, even within the current constraints, is movable at $17.6 million this year, $16.2 million next year and has a team option for the same amount the following season.
Atlanta Hawks Could Reportedly Trade Reigning Award Candidate
The Atlanta Hawks Could Also Trade Clint Capela
Clint Capela is another top trade candidate on Atlanta’s roster. The 30-year-old is in the midst of his fifth season with the Hawks. So far this season, Capela is averaging 10 points, 9.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1 block across 27 games. In a recent report, NBA insider Marc Stein (subscription required), said that Capela is a legitimate trade candidate this season. Additionally, he revealed that the New York Knicks expressed interest in him before landing Karl-Anthony Towns.
Clint Capela is regarded as the Atlanta big man most available this Trade Season. The Knicks explored the prospect of acquiring Capela (who is playing on an expiring $22.3 million contract) before completing their late-September trade to land Karl-Anthony Towns from Minnesota.
Capela is in the midst of a contract year and may move on from the Hawks as a free agent. Trading Capela, especially to a contending team, would be in Atlanta’s best interest to get value for him instead of losing him for nothing next summer. Additionally, moving on from Capela would open the door for Onyeka Okongwu to get more opportunities with the Hawks.
The Last Word On Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdanovic has averaged double-digits in scoring each year of his NBA career so far. Since 2017, he has established himself as a legitimate deep threat and a great scoring option off the bench. This season, Bogdanovic has only appeared in 12 games due to a quad injury. Regardless, he has looked good in the minutes he has played. The NBA Trade Deadline is still a couple of months away. A lot can happen between now and then. However, it seems like there is a real possibility the Hawks will move on from Bogdanovic at some point this season for financial flexibility.
