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After winning a grand total of 25 games for the entirety of last season, no one expected the Indiana Pacers to be any good entering the 2022-23 season. However, the Pacers have already won more than half of the games they did last year, with 15 in only 29 games, thanks in no small part to the emergence of Tyrese Haliburton as an All-Star talent and Myles Turner's career season. And it seems as if the Pacers aren't content yet, as they look to bolster their young core with a John Collins trade addition.
Per Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, the Pacers are throwing their hats in the crowded Collins trade ring. The Pacers see the 25-year old Collins as a solid option to fill their void at power forward, a position where third-year forward Jalen Smith has mostly disappointed in this season.
John Collins has seen his stock dip considerably in recent years. His counting stats have gone down every season since his breakout 2019-20 campaign, as he's been marginalized within the Atlanta Hawks' offense to a greater degree as more time has passed.
Collins is currently averaging his worst points per game since his rookie year on a career-worst efficiency from the field. His three-point shooting has declined considerably too, as he's only shooting 21.9 percent from 3 on the season.
Nevertheless, John Collins has proven himself to be a beastly interior finisher in the past, and this season, he's also stepped on the defensive end amid a smaller role on offense. With Tyrese Haliburton (potentially) setting him up, Collins should feast on easy buckets once more.
The Myles Turner situation is also yet to gain clarity. Turner has been involved in trade talks for almost his entire career, and over the past months, he's been heavily linked to a move to the Los Angeles Lakers.
While others around the league are skeptical on whether the Pacers and Turner have, indeed, engaged in contract extension negotiations, Fischer wrote that the Pacers center is “amenable” to a return to Indiana.
A potential John Collins-Myles Turner fit should work better than Collins' fit with Clint Capela in Atlanta. Turner loves to space the floor, so Collins would have carte blanche in the paint. It's not quite clear what the Pacers could dangle in return (a package centered around Buddy Hield, perhaps?) but it could be a shrewd move for Indiana to trade for Collins with his stock at its lowest.
