The NBA trade deadline is just one week away, but it appears the Atlanta Hawks will not be trading forward John Collins.
Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN said on the latest edition of The Woj Pod he believes the Hawks will keep Collins through the deadline despite interest from multiple teams:
“John Collins, I think, is unlikely to leave Atlanta,” Wojnarowski said, via Real GM. “I don't think they can find value on a rookie contract for him. They're 6-0 since Nate McMillan took over as head coach. I think they can figure out John Collins' future… There was a limit they were willing to go in negations, around $90 million on an extension. He'll be a restricted free agent. They can figure that out after the season.”
This directly contradicts a recent report from Sam Amick of The Athletic.
Amick reported the Hawks were “more motivated recently” in talks centered around Collins, whom Amick said has long been the subject of trade discussions. Shams Charania of The Athletic had previously reported the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics were among the teams interested in the former Wake Forest product.
But the Hawks might be asking for the moon. Collins is averaging 18.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per contest. He is still shooting a good percentage from beyond the arc (37.3) after shooting over 40 percent from deep last season. Collins has the athleticism to explode to the rim for easy buckets while rotating to block shots as a weak-side help defender. Plus, he is only 23 years old.
Atlanta risks Collins leaving in restricted free agency if he gets an enormous contract the Hawks cannot match. But Wojnarowski seems to think the two sides will figure it out at the end of the season.
Atlanta is on a six-game winning streak to get to 20-20 on the season.
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