Eventually, every NBA team will be in the mix to trade for Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins.
It has become so beyond exhausting how many times Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins’ name has come up in trade rumors in recent years.
The former Wake Forest star is Atlanta’s longest-tenured player. He is a borderline All-Star, but some have questioned his fit with the Hawks long-term, despite him signing a five-year deal with Atlanta last summer. All the while, Shams Charania of The Athletic (subscription required) has reported four teams who are interested in him: The Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards.
Collins would make all of these teams better, but let’s discuss why Atlanta may finally trade him.
NBA trade rumors: 4 teams revealed to be in on Atlanta Hawks PF John Collins
While trading Collins out west to either Dallas or Utah would not be so hopelessly punitive, the team that seemed to have the most traction to get him had been the Phoenix Suns, but the length of his contract seems to have brought a swift end to all of that. As for the two Eastern Conference teams, the potential return piece from either the Nets or the Wizards offers some level of intrigue.
In theory, Collins to Brooklyn would involve Atlanta picking up Joe Harris, which would help Atlanta’s scoring out on the wing, and particularly from distance. Of course, Atlanta would be trading a key piece to a team that could get hot in a hurry and could propel past them in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Trading in-division is scary, but Atlanta could land Kyle Kuzma.
This is the type of player the Hawks would need to get in return by trading away one of its four best players in-division. However, that may be too pricey for Washington to give up, so you can understand the potential tepidity there. Ultimately, this is why trading Collins has been so difficult and has not happened yet. He is a well-compensated, borderline NBA All-Star after all!
Other teams may have interest in Collins, but expect the Atlanta front office to have patience.