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The Atlanta Hawks Would Never Trade John Collins… Right?

By Dallin Duffy

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 20: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena on January 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 20: John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts during the first half against the Toronto Raptors at State Farm Arena on January 20, 2020 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Taking a look at a Shams report that teams called the Atlanta Hawks to gauge the price of John Collins.

The NBA Trade Deadline is almost here, and we can practically smell the Woj bombs already. The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the more (at least publicly) active teams, showing reported interest in Andre Drummond, Steven Adams, Jakob Pöltl, and Clint Capela.

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While things have been reported on what may be coming in to Atlanta at the deadline, there wasn’t much noise about what the Hawks would be sending out.

That changed earlier this week, as a report by Sham Charania of The Athletic reported that teams were “monitoring and feeling out Atlanta’s asking price” for the third-year forward. This came as quite a shock to Hawks fans, who figured John Collins to be one of the main core moving forward in Atlanta.

JC has played admirably in his third season, although he did miss 25 games while serving a suspension for violating the league’s Anti-Drug Program.

In the 23 games he’s suited up thus far, Collins has averaged 19.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game on 54% shooting. The points are a tick down from last season, but his rebounds, steals, and blocks per game are all currently career-highs.

Collins seems like an integral piece going forward for Atlanta, but if they do want to trade him, they’d likely get a mighty fine return. The 22-year-old has shown consistent flashes of being an All-Star, and was pretty close to making the team a year ago.

If the Hawks think moving forward with a more established center than the four/five hybrid that Collins is, then the trade makes sense. They could likely get a solid center and a fairly high draft pick in return for John, who would be one of the best young players on the market.

Still, I think the report was just noting other teams doing their due diligence and checking in on the price of a rising star. I think Atlanta would need a huge haul in return to consider it, and I just don’t see it happening.

Next. Cam Reddish: January's Rookie of the Month?. dark

It’s absolutely something to keep on eye on however. The NBA Trade Deadline is on February 6th.