Man, tougher call than I would think on Ayton vs. Capela. The latter is the better defender and rebounder, while Ayton is clearly the better offensive player. The salaries would certainly play a role as you could think of it as Capela + an MLE type contract guy vs. just Ayton at $32.5MM next year and growing to $35MM in 2025. Not ideal when you'll have Luka and Kyrie on big contracts and trying to fill out a support cast. Then again, Ayton would be the higher value dude on the trade block should the Mavs feel the need to break it up and replenish the cupboard.
But for my money, if you're trying to win now with Luka and Kyrie, give me Capela. It does seem the Mavs are trying to make one of the Suns/Hawks flinch first with some very uncharacteristic rumors being readily available. In the end, I don't see why the Hawks would dump Capela now that Collins is offloaded.
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