New York Knicks Reportedly Had Trade Interest In Atlanta Hawks Star

According to SNY's Ian Begley, the New York Knicks had interest in Clint Capela.

Mar 31, 2022; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young (11) and center Clint Capela (15) celebrate after an alley oop against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second half at State Farm Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Clint Capela has been among the best centers in the NBA for nearly a decade.

The Atlanta Hawks star is coming off a year where he averaged 11.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.5 blocks blocks per contest while shooting 57.1% from the field in 73 games.

He is a player that has come up in rumors over the previous few months, and SNY's Ian Begley reports that the New York Knicks are a team who has had interest in the 10-year veteran.

Begley: "Clint Capela, Atlanta. Was one big that the Knicks had checked in on. I don't know how far talks went. I don't know if they are active at this very moment, but they did check in on Capela."

Capela was the 25th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft and has played 10 seasons for the Houston Rockets (and Hawks).

His career averages are 12.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.5 blocks per contest while shooting 62.1% from the field in 609 regular season games.

He's also appeared in 87 NBA playoff games (65 starts) and has reached the conference finals three times.

Dec 25, 2018; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) celebrates a made basket with Rockets center Clint Capela (15) against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the fourth quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports / Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports

The Knicks have one of the best rosters in the NBA led by All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson.

If they are able to pull off any other moves for a player such as Capela (or someone of his caliber), there would be even more reason to believe that they have a legitimate chance to win the 2025 NBA Championship.

Last season, the Knicks lost to the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the second round.

“Clint Capela Atlanta was one big that the Knicks checked in on. I don’t know how far talks went. I don’t know if they’re active at this very moment. But they did check in on Capela”

— More from Ian Begley including other centers: https://t.co/R3HpGHwJq4 pic.twitter.com/Ni0PVvZ72p

— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) July 18, 2024