Clint Capela Projected to Sign With Marquee Team This Summer

11-year veteran Clint Capela will be moving on from the Atlanta Hawks this summer as a free agent. The Hawks have 24-year-old big man Onyeka Okongwu to take over the reigns full-time at center (he became the starter in January), while the 31-year-old Capela takes his wares to the open market. He's coming off a two-year, $45 million deal.

Capela likely won't be able to land a contract of that size again, as his production has waned a bit, and he's now on the wrong side of 30. Nevertheless, teams in need of a viable option down low, a rim-protector who can also score and rebound in double-digits, will have interest in Capela.

None more so, according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, than the Los Angeles Lakers. This is a team that's been in need of a viable starting center and solid defense under the basket since the trade of Anthony Davis (not that they're regretting the Luka Doncic deal at all, mind you).

Pincus is predicting the Lakers to sign Capela with the taxpayer's midlevel exception, which is coming in at $5.7 million this year. He suggests that they'll see Capela as a "stopgap" solution for 2025-26 at least.

Capela has been on the rumor mill for what seems like nearly his entire five-year run in Atlanta, while he continued to provide them with an average of 11.8 points and 11.3 rebounds, with 1.4 blocked shots per game over that half-decade. This past season, his minutes and production took a dip, to just 21.4 minutes per game (down from 26.5 average before that), and 8.9 points and 8.8 rebounds.

But the Lakers would be able to provide him with consistent minutes and potentially a return to his double-double days.