Atlanta Hawks: John Collins is easily the biggest free agency decision
The Atlanta Hawks have been flying this season despite their injury issues. A big reason for this is the veterans the franchise added over the last 18 months. However, there has been huge growth for John Collins over that time, especially on defense.
Clint Capela has changed the defense for the Hawks, and when he is out, the new voice on defense is the fourth-year pro out of Wake Forest. Capela is the best defensive pivot that Collins has played with. He has shown that he is willing to learn and grow which has helped the team no end.
Collins still has his defensive shortcomings. He can struggle to stay in front of players on the perimeter. However, with Capela behind him, he is able to stay up on his assignment. His rim protection has also improved. He is still a tremendous threat from both inside and out for the Hawks on offense.
The Atlanta Hawks have a few big decisions, John Collins is the biggest.
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The Hawks have point guard Brandon Goodwin, Solomon Hill, Lou Williams, Tony Snell, and Collins coming out of contract. It will be touch and go if Goodwin is on the roster next season. The Hawks may not be able to afford to keep Solomon Hill, who has done it all for the franchise this season.
Add to this Snell, who is another spare parts type player who knows when to take his shot and also loves to defend at a high level. Williams is a really nice piece for the franchise, who has helped fix the fourth quarter for the Hawks. With the reemergence of Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari, this production can be replaced if required.
The only decision that needs to be made in regards to Collins is whether the Hawks match any offer sheet the power forward signs. If the number is too high, the Hawks may not match it, All they can hope for is that Collins wants to stay with the organization that he takes a smaller contract.
Next. Predicting the lineups when healthy. dark
The reason the money is an issue is that both Trae Young and Kevin Huerter are due their contract extension this offseason which will cost the Hawks big money. They need to decide what is the upper limit they are willing to pay Collins so as not to risk the future of the franchise.