NBA Mock Trade: Thunder Acquire Hawks' John Collins in Sign-and-Trade
With a loaded war chest of assets, the Oklahoma City Thunder have plenty of options for the future.
With 18 first round draft picks in the next 7 drafts, the Thunder will have the flexibility to grab any number of star-level players. The only question is who and for what timeline.
Aligning players with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be key.
Over the next few weeks, InsideTheThunder.com will be evaluating what it would take to land some of the top available talent in the NBA, Hawks forward John Collins could be one of the most readily available stars.
Here are SI Thunder’s thoughts on what it will take to trade for the budding star:
Ryan Chapman: John Collins came into his own during the playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks, proving just how lethal he can be when paired with an elite distributor. Enter Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. It’s easy to imagine the two forming a dynamic scoring punch for the Thunder, and the Hawks may be willing to part ways with Collins after he made it known he wanted a max extension and the Hawks were hesitant to oblige. Oklahoma City could be poised to pounce if Atlanta holds firm, and a package centering around Darius Bazley, a first round pick or two and maybe one of Isaiah Roby or Kenrich Williams could be appetizing to Atlanta as they look for versatility to replace Collins.
Derek Parker: Despite an incredible playoff run from Atlanta, they still may not be willing to break the bank for Collins. Oklahoma City however has the money to spend. Collins has proved he can be a valuable contributor, but a max contract is still a major risk. Sam Presti would need to weigh risk versus reward, along with giving up compensation in return. Darius Bazley would have to be the centerpiece for Atlanta to consider.
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Nick Crain: John Collins has become one of the top power forwards in the entire NBA. Looking to secure a bag this summer, he’ll be one of the most exciting players to watch as teams look to facilitate sign-and-trades as well as try to sign him to a restricted free agent offer sheet that Atlanta struggles to match. If you’re the Thunder, knowing you’re not a huge free agent destination, going all in for Collins makes sense. Even if it means giving up some of your young prospects, we already know Collins can be a top-three player on a quality playoff team.
