The Atlanta Hawks haven't seen the 2022-23 season go the way they were expecting it to go. After pulling off a huge move for Dejounte Murray last offseason, the Hawks were expected to be one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, and for good reason. With Murray and Trae Young teaming up, Atlanta had one of the best backcourt duos in the NBA.

There have been quite a few disappointing teams throughout the league so far this season, but the Hawks have to be towards the top of that list. They have just a 24-24 record, which is good for eighth in the East, despite their aforementioned big move over the offseason. For a team that managed to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021, they have continued to underwhelm ever since then.

The good news for the Hawks is that there is still time to make some moves ahead of the trade deadline to strengthen their roster. There's one big move in particular that would seemingly be a great way for Atlanta to improve their team, so let's take a look at what that move is and see why it would result in the Hawks dream trade deadline scenario coming true.

Hawks dream scenario for trade deadline

The Hawks always seem to find themselves involved in trade rumors, and this season has been no different. From the get go, they haven't looked capable of meeting expectations, and that has resulted in rumors flaring up for months now. With the deadline creeping up, it will be interesting to see if any of those rumors end up actually happening, or if they all end up flaming out.

The main rumor the Hawks have seen floating around involves their interest in trading John Collins. Collins almost always seems to be involved in trade rumors one way or another, and the five-year, $125 million extension he signed in August 2021 hasn't done much to stop those rumors from popping up. Maybe this will be the season when Collins actually gets traded.

A big reason why Collins could actually be dealt this season is because of how poorly he's played. Collins' numbers on the season (13.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.3 APG, 50.9 FG%) are down across the board, and he's struggled to find his fit on offense alongside two ball-dominant guards in Young and Murray.

Collins is basically being cast aside to space the floor for Young and Murray, but it isn't working, because he's shooting a career-low 26 percent from behind the arc. Collins is better utilized as an inside-out scorer who gets big dunks at the rim before stretching the defense out to the perimeter with some timely threes. But that part of his game has been virtually nonexistent this season.

The good news is that since Collins has a history of playing at a high level, there are several different teams that are interested in trading for him. One such team is the Washington Wizards, and they have a perfect bartering chip in Kyle Kuzma, who should be a target the Hawks would be interested in adding to their roster.

Kuzma has been putting together a breakout campaign on offense for the Wizards (22 PPG, 7.6 RPG, 4 APG, 45.9 FG%) and would give them the perfect piece to slide in alongside Young and Murray. Kuzma still makes some rash decisions offensively, but this is the best he's looked in his career on the offensive side of the ball, and he remains a solid wing defender as well.

This move would seemingly be beneficial for both sides. Washington has interest in Collins, although nobody knows why, as they don't seem to be close to contending anytime soon. And Atlanta is looking to offload Collins, so getting Kuzma would be a very good return here. Collins' stock isn't exactly high as we are all aware, so the Hawks might even have to chip in more to get a deal done here.

But as we can see with their per game averages, swapping Collins for Kuzma would likely help the Hawks out a lot. Kuzma is a more consistent perimeter threat, and he can create shots for himself as well, which Collins struggles a bit with. This trade has already been floated by the Wizards, but the Hawks didn't seem too interested initially.

The whole situation is confusing, as the Wizards really have no business trading for Collins, and the Hawks should really be interested in landing Kuzma, but it would result in a dream trade deadline scenario for Atlanta. If they can come to their senses, pulling off a deal built around these two players would benefit both sides, and it will be interesting to see whether either of these guys get moved at the deadline.