The New York Knicks have checked in on the Hawks’ rebounding champion

The New York Knicks continue to monitor their Manhattan skyscraper problem.

SNY Knicks insider Ian Begley has suggested a newcomer to the team’s interior sweepstakes, reporting that New York management has “checked out” Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela.

“I hesitate to speak in the present tense, just because things can change every five minutes in the NBA, especially this time of year,” Begley said (via New York Basketball). “But I will say that Clint Capela from Atlanta was one of the big names that the Knicks reached out to and I don’t know how far those discussions went. I don’t know if they’re active right now. But they reached out to Capela.”

Capela, 30, is entering the final year of a two-year, $45.8 million contract with the Hawks, who appear to be caught between a rock and a hard place between the play-in tournament race and a complete rebuild. He has had at least 10 rebounds per game in each of the last seven seasons, including a league-best 14.3 per game in 2020-21, which helped them get to an Eastern Conference Finals victory in five games against the Knicks in the first round.

During that seven-year span, Capela is one of three rebounders to grab at least a dozen rebounds per game on the boards, joining Rudy Gobert (Minnesota) and Andre Drummond (Philadelphia).

New York continues to look for depth inside with Isaiah Hartenstein headed to Oklahoma City and starter Mitchell Robinson returning from ankle issues. Begley said it could be “understood” that Robinson would be sent south to Atlanta as a starter for a starter, though he also didn’t rule out a “platoon” situation at the five.

While Capela could also draw attention at the trade deadline, Begley thinks it’s more likely the Knicks will head into training camp with the roster they’ve assembled plus a backup center picked from the remaining free-agent roster, such as the returning Precious Achiuwa, who emerged last year. As it stands, Jericho Sims is the primary backup to two-way forward Ariel Hukporti, the final pick in last month’s NBA draft.

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