Atlanta Hawks fans have found themselves in a place they know all too well. Free agency is almots upon us, and this brings more John Collins rumours to circulate as Atlanta explores the value of their “vibes officer”. I have strongly believed for a long time that any move including Collins has to be well thought through as he is, in my eyes, one of the league’s most underrated talents.
It will be hard to replace him on the court, and harder to replace him off the court as the Hawks look to rearm ahead of the new season. Any talks involving Collins MUST offer the Hawks an upgrade, likely in the form of an out-and-out second star to couple with Trae Young. This is hard to achieve due to the talent which is being offered by Atlanta, but Travis Schlenk must play this right if the decision is to part ways with the five-year pro.
A recent rumour is piquing the interest of many fans, as Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report has detailed the Hawks may be on their way towards acquiring two-way star, Dejounte Murray from San Antonio.
The Atlanta Hawks want some decent compensation for John Collins
This is the sort of return Atlanta should be looking for if they are giving away Collins. Understandably, more assets would have to be put up to claim the rights to the All-Star guard, with Onyeka Okongwu and a first-round pick also potentially being brought into the picture.
It is a big sacrifice however the return is the perfect Ying to Trae’s Yang as Dejounte Murray gives you close to a 20-point triple-double on any given night while also carrying the load defensively. Last season, Murray finished second in the Most Improved Player vote with averages of 21.1 points, 9.2 assists and 8.3 rebounds as well as a league-leading 2.0 steals per game.
Couple this with Trae’s 28.4 points and 9.7 assists per game and you get arguably the most lethal guard duo in the league. Of course, at this point, any talk is merely speculation but it does act to get Hawks fans excited about what is in store throughout the summer.
As well as San Antonio, it has been well reported Sacramento have interest in Collins but any move for Murray must take precedent over entertaining the Kings. With additional rumours of the Celtics looking to acquire JC, trying to bring Jaylen Brown to Atlanta should be explored if things do not materialise into a deal with the Spurs.
As Young has told us, this gonna be the summer that changed everything, maybe that starts today for the Atlanta Hawks!