The Atlanta Hawks (22-25) are on a five-game heater with their most recent victory coming convincingly over the Sacramento Kings. They’ve turned up the intensity defensively and are getting lights-play from Trae Young as well as De’Andre Hunter while the bench allowed those two and the rest of the starters to take a breather versus the Kings.
Unfortunately, the run not quelled the trade talks surrounding this group, even after they dealt away Cam Reddish at his request.
After the news broke about the details of a John Collins-for-Ben Simmons deal breaking down over the inclusion of Tobias Harris, it was reported that the Hawks have stepped up their efforts to find a new home for John Collins.
Collins has made it clear he would like a more defined role on offense.
That has brought about the usual slew of trade ideas and proposals from rival teams looking to improve their roster and with Hawks fans trying to do the same. Both sides often operate with the singular focus of getting a player on their team with little regard to the drawbacks. Or, they are giving little to get a lot.
The NBA simply doesn’t work that way and, perhaps for some, the return on Cam Reddish should be evidence.
The Atlanta Hawks have a lot to consider if they want to find a new home for John Collins
With that in mind, it would be prudent to take note of how the most popular rumors connecting the Hawks to some of the other disgruntled stars around the NBA would benefit or hurt the Hawks and their still very-much-alive playoff hopes.
Which ones would be for the best and which ones should they steer clear of entirely?
A note before we continue: none of these are meant to be finalized deals. All of them would most likely include one and probably multiple first-round picks as well as other anciallry pieces. Instead, the deals in the following slides are simply meant to show how the teams involved could make the money work. And now, on to our first assessment.