The Washington Wizards made a big move this offseason, sending John Wall and a future first-round pick to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Russell Westbrook. Swapping the injured Wall with a healthy Westbrook is expected to boost the Wizards’ chances of returning to the playoffs in the 2020-21 NBA season. However, if they are serious about fully dominating the Eastern Conference and winning the NBA championship title, they should still continue to find ways to upgrade their current roster.
According to Brett Siegel of NBA Analysis Network , one player that the Wizards could target on the trade market is veteran center Clint Capela of the Atlanta Hawks. Capela may have missed the second half of the 2019-20 NBA season with an injury, but once he returns to perfect shape, he could form the Wizards’ Big Three with Beal and Westbrook next year.
“As the Wizards’ roster stands right now, they do not have a true center who stays primarily in the paint, but trading for Clint Capela gives them that type of player. Russell Westbrook, Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans are the three primary scorers on the Wizards’ roster and if they want any chance to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, they are going to need to go out and find a reliable rebounding threat to give them second, third, and fourth chances to score on every possession.”
Capela would undeniably be an incredible addition to the Wizards, giving them a defensive-minded big man with plenty of playoff experience. His arrival in Washington would significantly improve their performance in terms of scoring under the basket, rebounding, and protecting the rim. In his last healthy season, the 26-year-old center averaged 16.6 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks while shooting 64.8 percent from the field, per ESPN .
The successful acquisition of Capela may not be enough to make the Wizards an instant favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the 2021 NBA Finals, but pairing him with Beal and Westbrook would give them a better chance of beating powerhouse teams with dominant big men like Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Anthony Davis (Los Angeles Lakers), Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets), and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) in a best-of-seven series.
As of now, the Hawks haven’t shown any strong indication that they are planning to part ways with Capela before the 2021 trade deadline. However, if they decide to move him, the Wizards would likely need to send some of their precious assets to Atlanta to convince them to make a deal.