On Saturday’s edition of ‘Hometown Take’, host Dylan Mathews wondered what the actual benefit for the Atlanta Hawks would be if they acquired Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton. Ayton is currently a free-agent after being drafted out of Arizona by the Suns with the 1st overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.
“I want to fix the issues that this team has,” Dylan said, “our issue is not offense, the problem is not offense… (Hawks GM) Landry Fields and (Team President) Travis Schlenk talked about it too, they are going after defense this offseason”
Obviously if Ayton is brought into the fold, that means that current Hawks center Clint Capela could be the odd man out. Gorgui Dieng signed a one-year contract last year so he might not be back and Onyeka Okongwu has been trying to overcome injury issues and show some consistency since the team used the 6th pick on him back in 2020.
Dylan made his reasons for sticking with Capela over Ayton very clear. “Clint Capela is a better defender than Deandre Ayton, hence, that’s why I think he’s going to stay here.” He also added, “Bump all the offensive moves that Ayton has and the offensive moves Capela doesn’t have…none of that matters, if Trae Young wants Clint Capela here than Capela’s going to be here.”
Now, there is also the issue with the financial aspect if a deal does get made. It would more than likely have to include a sign-and-trade, Capela still has about three years and almost $60 million left on his contract. The salaries of the two big men are comparable but it’s to be expected that Ayton would come with a higher price tag.
Dylan believes that, at the end of the day, the construction of this team is solid enough to withstand not adding another high-profile free agent to the roster. Mathews is confident that the front office of the Hawks need to just stay the course and focus on improving the defense during the offseason. Ultimately though, it might come down to something as simple as, “If Trae Young wants Clint Capela here, then Clint Capela is going to be here.”