The Atlanta Hawks' desire to trade away John Collins is the league's worst-kept secret. And with Collins' continued decline in usage in Atlanta, combined with his huge long-term contract, it's not hard to understand why the Hawks would want to sell the 25-year old power forward in exchange for pieces that complement the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray core in a much better manner.
However, the Hawks' desire to ship out Collins has become so strong that they have even talked to the Houston Rockets about a potential trade, per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. Nonetheless, Iko added that “there has been nothing concrete from the Rockets — merely ideas floated by the Hawks to Houston among other teams”.
It's unclear why the Rockets would acquire John Collins, given their status as the worst team in the NBA at the moment. They don't appear to be in a position to be trading away precious draft capital in exchange for someone who won't make that big of an impact in terms of their contending status.
Nevertheless, the Rockets are reportedly interested in swinging a deal for Collins; it's not often that a 25-year old forward who averaged 20 and 10 at his peak is available in a trade. Moreover, the Rockets have the pieces that could make the framework of a three-team trade between the Hawks and Phoenix Suns a possibility.
Alas, the Rockets might want to hold off on pulling off such major moves as they try to preserve cap space for future free agent pursuits. In particular, a James Harden reunion could come to fruition if the Philadelphia 76ers fall flat.
Still, at the end of the day, trading away John Collins seems to be an inevitability for the Hawks. The only hope now is that the Hawks don't sell low on what was once a prized asset.
Follow Us
Subscribe