Clint Capela Trade: Mavs' Missing Piece for Title Contention?

As NBA offseason movement has stalled for the moment, the Dallas Mavericks still have their eyes on a potential trade for Atlanta Hawks veteran big man Clint Capela, who could launch them into championship contention.

After all the hype that came with Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard and Philadelphia 76ers’ James Harden requesting trades from their incumbent teams, nothing has happened yet, and that has seemingly put a hold on other potential transactions around league nearly three weeks into free agency.

One of those moves that could be waiting on bigger dominoes to fall first could have to do with Toronto Raptors star Pascal Siakam. The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks are the two main teams that have been mentioned the most in league media circles when it comes to Siakam’s destination. The only problem, though, according to NBA insider Marc Stein, is that Siakam is unwilling to sign an extension with any team that that is considering trading for him.

This obviously complicates matters for the Raptors, who are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Siakam is on an expiring $38 million contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer. And although he enjoys being with the team that drafted him, he’s going to turn 30 next season and might not fit Toronto’s timeline anymore if it hopes to get off the mediocrity treadmill.

If the Raptors want to get something for Siakam now without risking losing him for nothing next summer, now is the time to do it, even if he's unwilling to sign an extension. And if that happens, the Dallas Mavericks, per Stein, will be rooting for the Atlanta Hawks to have the highest bid, as it would open the door for them to be the third team in a three-way trade that lands them veteran center Clint Capela.

There’s a lot that must happen before the Mavs get to that point, to be perfectly clear. But if they do, would adding Capela represent the missing piece for Dallas being a title contender again? Given what the Mavs have done so far this summer, we don't see why not.

Heading into this offseason, the Mavs had three big goals: 1) re-sign Kyrie Irving, 2) improve wing depth and 3) improve rim-protecting and rebounding – preferably by adding an established, veteran center. The Dallas front office, led by GM Nico Harrison and owner Mark Cuban, has achieved the former two goals, as Irving re-signed to a three-year deal on the first day of free agency, and it acquired OMax Prosper during the draft and Grant Williams from the Boston Celtics in separate trades.

As far as the rim-protection and rebounding goal goes, the Mavs have made some moves to address that as well by adding promising rookie big man Dereck Lively II and former Sacramento Kings veteran center Richaun Holmes. Overall, Dallas' frontcourt is in a much better place than it was one month ago, but a trade for a big like Capela could bring a sense of completion and balance to the current roster.

In 65 games for the Hawks last season, Capela averaged 12.0 points, 11.0 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 65.3 percent from the field. Although Lively has aspirations of being the Mavs' starting center one day, he admits that he's not at that point yet and knows it's going to take time for him to fully develop.

"That's something that's circled on my board – to be a starter for the Mavs" Lively said during an exclusive Summer League edition of the Mavs Step Back Podcast. "That's something I'm definitely not at right now, but I'm scraping away, getting closer and closer each day. But I'm not there now, so that just means I've gotta keep working so I can get to it and get better."

The Mavs having Capela as their starting center would not only be great for the team overall – he is exactly the type of experienced, rim-rolling, board-grabbing center you'd want with Luka Doncic running pick-and-rolls – but it would be great for Lively individually as well, as he'd be able to be a 'star in his role' behind Capela with no pressure until it's time for the torch to be passed.

The Mavs' depth chart would look something like the following if they were to add Capela in a trade: Starters – Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, Grant Williams, Clint Capela. Bench – Seth Curry, Jaden Hardy, OMax Prosper, Maxi Kleber, Dereck Lively II, Dwight Powell, Richaun Holmes and Dante Exum.

If you're wondering where Tim Hardaway Jr. and JaVale McGee are in that equation, they were left out due to the possibility of both of them being traded before the season begins. In fact, even if Hardaway stays, many believe McGee will be gone no matter what, whether the Mavs are able to trade him or end up having to waive him.

Regardless, the lineups listed above are solid and versatile. Sure, the Mavs wouldn't have the same overall roster talent that other title-contending teams in the league currently have – like the reigning-champion Denver Nuggets – but for a team that played in a league-high 55 clutch games last season and lost 29 of them, even a slight improvement on the margins could have a significant impact next season. And the Mavs, in our opinion, have already improved significantly on the margins whether they pull off a trade for Capela or not.

When you have a top-tier talent in Doncic, who has made the All-NBA First Team in four out of his first five years in the league, you're always going to be a threat to make some noise – especially if he's in tip-top playing shape and is able to stay healthy. Going into his sixth season, Doncic arguably has more weapons around him than he's ever had before, and therefore, we can see a realistic path for the Mavs being much better than what we witnessed last season.

If Capela, or any other veteran center on his level for that matter – like Pacers' Myles Turner or Phoenix Suns' Deandre Ayton, for example – is added into the mix before next season starts, expect the Mavs' current top-10 championship betting odds to improve. We'll see how much longer this NBA offseason stalemate lasts ... and if Dallas can find a way to pull off a hat trick when it comes to completing its biggest summer goals.

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