Hawks Showing Interest In Trading John Collins?
In 2021, the Atlanta Hawks made a miracle run to the Eastern Conference Finals after many thought that they would not even make the playoffs halfway through the year! Things were trending in the right direction for this franchise following this postseason run, but this past season was not kind to the Hawks.
They finished just 43-39 on the year, losing to the Miami Heat in five games and seeing their season come to an end in disappointing fashion. Now, the Hawks’ front-office is evaluating all the ways for them to possibly improve heading into the 2022-23 season and there has been a lot of trade chatter connected to Atlanta in recent weeks.
Not only are Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic potentially two trade assets the Hawks have to offer up, but 24-year-old forward John Collins has suddenly started to gain a lot of attention in offseason rumors.
Many have named Collins as a player the Hawks would be open to moving on from and recently, The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor mentioned in his most recent mock draft that Atlanta is looking to add a lottery pick by trading John Collins or also including their No. 16 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Dating back to the 2021-22 regular season, John Collins has seen his name pop up in trade buzz quite a bit, especially given the unrest that exists within the Atlanta Hawks organization.
There was tension between Collins and the Hawks when they were trying to get a new long-term deal done ahead of the 2020-21 season and in the midst of the 2021-22 season this year, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that John Collins was growing “increasingly frustrated over his role in Atlanta,” leading many to speculate that he could be on the move at the trade deadline.
Ultimately, Atlanta held onto Collins, but his future with the team is growing very uncertain this offseason. Trae Young is the centerpiece of the Hawks franchise right now and it seems like this front-office is willing to move everyone around him in order to turn the team into a true contender in the Eastern Conference.
Through five years in the league now, Collins has averaged 16.5 points, 8.3 rebounds and has shot 55.9% from the floor, 37.6% from three-point range. A very athletic and versatile forward on the offensive-end of the floor, Collins has generated quite a bit of interest around the league, hence the Hawks rumored interest in moving him for value while they can.
There is no sense to what the Atlanta Hawks would do in regards to the draft if they did trade him for a lottery pick this year, but interest in moving John Collins is very real in Atlanta.
With the NBA Draft set to take place on June 23, the Hawks are running out of time to make a decision on whether or not they want to move the 24-year-old Collins for a higher draft pick.
