The Atlanta Hawks have been named as one of the biggest winners of the offseason by fans and pundits alike after adding veterans who will make an immediate impact and acquiring draft capital that could land them near the top of the 2026 NBA Draft.
With all of the praise the franchise has received for the additions made to the roster, not much has been made of the players who left the franchise. Caris LeVert, Clint Capela, and Larry Nance Jr. all made contributions during their time in Atlanta, but of the three, one stands out as the top candidate to be a major disappointment for their new team.
Capela Destined to Disappoint Rockets After Signing $21.1 Million Deal
With Onyeka Okongwu already in the fold and Kristaps Porzingis added via trade before the NBA Draft, there was little need for Capela on Atlanta's roster moving forward. Once the Houston Rockets elected to offer the 31-year-old big man a three-year, $21.1 million contract, his time with the Hawks had come to a close.
Given his drop in production, Capela appeared in just 55 games last season and failed to average a double-double for the first time since the 2017-18 campaign, it was time for Atlanta to move on from the veteran big man. Even with the salary cap rising year over year, signing a player who is coming off the worst season since their rookie year, when they have as many miles on their body as Capela does, would have made zero sense for Atlanta.
In Houston, Capela will serve as the third center behind Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams. The Rockets know as much about Capela as any team in the league after drafting him in 2014 and keeping the big man on their roster through the 2019-20 campaign. Expectations will likely be low, despite Houston's championship aspirations, so Capela should feel very little pressure to turn back the clock and be the double-double machine he once was.
That doesn't mean he will live up to his contract, though. The fact that the Hawks were willing to let him walk as a free agent without much of a fight tells you all you need to know about the perception of the big man in Atlanta's front office.