What message are the Atlanta Hawks giving by not trading John Collins

The Atlanta Hawks were willing to listen to offers on John Collins. The fourth-year power forward did not sign his rookie extension in the offseason and is going to be one of the most coveted free-agents this upcoming offseason.

Due to the fact he was on a rookie deal, Collins is entering restricted free agency. However, he will command a lot of money from teams who have the cap space after the Giannis sweepstakes failed to happen after he signed his max deal with the Milwaukee Bucks.

According to Bleacher Report, Collins could have been traded to the Boston Celtics but it would have required a minimum of Jaylen Brown coming back to the Hawks. This did not happen and now the Hawks are one of the hottest teams in the NBA, particularly now that they are getting most of their players back from injury.

What the Atlanta Hawks are telling the rest of the NBA by not trading John Collins.

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Thanks to their recent 8-2 streak under new head coach Nate McMillan, the Hawks have moved from 11th place in the Eastern Conference to be in a tie for fifth. If they can keep this level of play up then they are guaranteed a playoff berth which is hard to imagine with where they were at last season.

Collins seems incredibly happy with his role with the Hawks and would do well to stay with the team. The only potential sticking point could be money, but if the Hawks are able to keep their winning momentum for the rest of the season would feel pretty confident they will be able to re-sign Collins.

He has been playing at another level since McMillan took over and looks very comfortable with his role on the team. If he can continue to grow in this role then the Hawks are going to be hard to beat in the East. What are the Hawks saying by not trading John Collins? We are coming, we are a threat here and now.