Before John Collins signed a five-year, $125 million in the offseason, it was already reported that Collins was not happy with how Trae Young was running the offense for the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks were struggling during that juncture, but their coaching change in the middle of the season propelled them to a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals.
This season, Atlanta has been in a free fall as they have lost nine straight home games and are currently 12th in the Eastern Conference.
Collins has expressed his frustration once again with his role as the trade deadline approaches. Atlanta has already executed their first trade by shipping Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks, but Collins is also a popular commodity in the trade market. The commitment to him would be for a long period, but Collins still has immense potential at 24 years old. If he is seriously available, a plethora of teams would pitch their offers to Travis Schlenk.
3 best trade destinations for John Collins
One franchise that is in dire need of size and versatility is the Charlotte Hornets. PJ Washington and Mason Plumlee on the Hornets front court will be exposed in the playoffs because of their lack of size. Collins is a perfect addition as their starting four man and small-ball five on some instances. The Hornets could still add a heftier big to backup Plumlee as well.
Gordon Hayward may be the odd man out with the emergence of Miles Bridges as that swap would also be great for salary purposes. The Hawks are building their front court around Clint Capela, so having Hayward to space the floor for Young and Capela could be a new change of scenery in Atlanta. The enticing part of the deal is Hayward is just signed for three more seasons compared to five for Collins. Additionally, the Hornets could also add a pick or a young piece in the deal.
The Dallas Mavericks have a slew of front court players on their roster, but they have all been underwhelming this season except Kristaps Porzingis. However, Porzingis needs massive help with the big man duties especially his play style revolves around shooting outside shots. As Dallas is currently 24th in the association in rebounding, Collins would bolster their size and versatility.
The problem is their lack of pieces to give the Hawks, but they could negotiate a deal around Dwight Powell, Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr or even future assets. Atlanta could definitely demand for more from other organizations, but there is the possibility that Schlenk would want perimeter help with the disappointing performance of his current guards.
Memphis Grizzlies
The scorching hot Memphis Grizzlies have numerous tradable contracts they could trade before February 10. Steven Adams is the easy answer but that would not attract the Hawks because they already have Capela manning the paint. On the other hand, the Hawks could be attracted with Dillon Brooks and Kyle Anderson as the main players included in the package.
Brooks was their starting wing last year, but Desmond Bane has elevated his game to a whole new level this year. He could be dealt in exchange for Collins as the Hawks are eager to shore up their defensive prowess. Brooks and Anderson bring the defensive mentality and focus that is contrasting to the assets of their other wings in Kevin Huerter and Bogdan Bogdanovic. Collins is more talented than these two individuals, but it is tough to continue deploying him if he is not fully interested in blossoming in his. role .
There are a slew of other teams that could benefit from the presence of Collins, but these three are the ones that make the most sense. The Philadelphia 76ers have been circulating around social media as a possible destination, but it might not make sense to pair him with Joel Embiid as proven by his issue to play alongside Al Horford before. With Collins one of the biggest names in the trade market, there will be a ton of legitimate offers being brought to the table for Schlenk to analyze and execute.
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