With little traction in the form of a trade for Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, they are now being urged to flip him. The last two offseasons have been rife with trade rumors regarding Collins with teams in both conferences being linked to the former 18th-overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Collins has been a consummate professional throughout all of the hearsay, even saying when asked that he still wants to remain in Atlanta.
His head coach has also sounded like he has big plans for Collins this coming season.
Still, there is a reason the trade rumors began, and they were reportedly actively looking to move him for a roster upgrade at one point. All of that turmoil cannot just be swept under the rug, can it?
Would trading John Collins for a “two-way wing” put the Atlanta Hawks over the top?
Numerous hypothetical trade proposals surrounding Collins speak to the opinions on him from the outside. The price tag that the Hawks have placed on him – a starting caliber power forward, draft compensation, and potentially another player – says much of the same.
His five-year, $125 million contract would seem to be strong enough of a statement on the Hawks’ commitment to Collins.
But they were reluctant to give it to him in the first place.
Bleacher Report’s Zach Buckley writes the Hawks would still be better off moving on despite all the signs both sides are preparing to move forward with Collins in Atlanta.
“John Collins looks like either a cornerstone or at least one of those high-level support players who ingrains himself within a franchise’s fabric…As good as he is, his skills might overlap a bit too much with Clint Capela’s for Collins to maximize his impact in Atlanta.”
The Capela-Collins dynamic is fascinating because they complement each other well. But Collins undoubtedly changed the way he plays when Capela arrived.
“The Hawks have gotten good mileage out of their bouncy big man, they’d get even more from a versatile wing who could lock down the perimeter and bring something to the offensive end.”
We saw an earlier hypothetical trade proposal suggest moving Collins to the Charlotte Hornets for a package that included former Hawks draft pick, Kelly Oubre and another that would send him to the Washington Wizards for Kyle Kuzma.
There were rumors connecting Collins to the Chicago Bulls, Sacramento Kings, and Detroit Pistons. But nothing came to fruition to this point in part due to the Hawks’ asking price.
“Two-way wings aren’t easy to get in trades, but a 24-year-old who’s a constant double-double threat, an explosive finisher, and a plus perimeter shooter shouldn’t be, either.”
Collins’ reps also pushed for a trade during earlier contract negotiations.
To Buckely’s point, Collins has been hard to get. Assistant general manager Landry Fields stopped just short of guaranteeing Collins would be in a Hawks uniform next season.
But all signs point that way including Collins teaming up with Young for the former’s Drew League debut. Collins’ name will likely remain in trade talks until he helps the Hawks win something of note like the Eastern Conference.