5 Centers the Raptors might replace Jakob Poeltl with by the trade deadline

No. 5: Onyeka Okongwu

The Atlanta Hawks find themselves with a glut of centers on the roster. Clint Capela is still entrenched as the starter and making $22 million this season, more than players such as Poeltl, Jarrett Allen and Ivica Zubac, who are all clearly superior players.

Behind Capela, the Hawks have Onyeka Okongwu now on his second contract making $14 million, as well as the newly-acquired Larry Nance Jr. making $11 of his own. Add in veteran center Cody Zeller and two-way pickup Dominick Barlow and it's a crowded room.

It's unlikely that Okongwu would demand top-tier value on the trade market, and perhaps something like the Indiana Pacers' 2026 first-round pick and matching salary would work for Atlanta. They may be interested in taking a flier on Ochai Agbaji as a part of that deal, or even want to bring on Bruce Brown to complement Trae Young in a larger deal.

Okongwu is a bit undersized at 6'8" but has all of the skills to excel at the center position. He is an efficient scorer with real touch around the basket and flashed some ability to shoot 3-pointers, primarily from the corners. Okonwu is a solid rebounder -- not elite, but solid enough. He's active on defense, able to both protect the rim and defend out in space.

He hasn't put everything together to be an above-average starting center, but he is worth a flier to see if he can grow into a solid starter with room to breathe.