The Atlanta Hawks are in a bit of a weird situation this season. They have a backcourt that is among the best in the league with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. They have some solid role players, but quite a few of them are not performing at the level they are expected to. And then they have John Collins, whose future has been the subject of speculation for quite some time now.
There is a belief that the Hawks will need to trade John Collins at some point among NBA executives. The Brooklyn Nets were linked with him over the offseason. They are far from the only franchise, even the Phoenix Suns were credited with an interest in the Hawks star. But it seems the issue hasn’t gone beyond that. The Boston Celtics, who many have linked with a trade, will not be moving for Collins and an anonymous Eastern Conference executive told Heavy’s Sean Deveny why.
“It would cost them Marcus Smart, so the answer has to be no there. They’re not moving Smart,” the exec said. “In the summer, they were trying to make the offer they made for (Malcolm) Brogdon to a lot of teams, and Atlanta was one of them. You know, Aaron Nesmith and (Daniel) Theis and a whole bunch of filler and a first-round pick, but that was never going to be enough to get them Collins. A guy with Brogdon’s injury history, that was doable. But Collins is too good for that package.”
The Celtics are the best team in the league at this point in the season, so they don’t need to make a big move like this. Giving up reigning Defensive Player Of The Year Marcus Smart would be a bit too much, so it seems like the door will remain shut on a potential trade.
Where Will John Collins End Up?
During his time in the NBA, John Collins has shown the ability to be someone that averaged over 20 points and 10 rebounds. However, this season’s stats tell another story. Collins is averaging under 13 points per game and has been shooting abysmally for a big man.
The Utah Jazz reportedly rejected a trade for him that would involve Lauri Markkanen. If even teams that will not be contenders aren’t willing to give up much for Collins, it’s really hard to see where he will end up. The Atlanta Hawks will have to look around to find a deal that is beneficial to all parties.
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