The Brooklyn Nets have survived an extremely rocky start to the 2022-23 NBA season, and appear to be regaining momentum as a potential championship contender as a result. Their 16-12 record is good for fourth in the Eastern Conference, and that run up the standings has been due largely to the Nets winning seven of their last eight games.

Typically when you have two stars on the court at the same time like the Nets do in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, you will find a way to win. Durant has been stellar in his efforts to hold down the fort while Irving and Ben Simmons have spent time on and off the court, but they have finally begun to turn things around after a horrid start to the season.

Despite that, it's clear that Brooklyn still has a lot of work to do if they want to win a title this season, and that involves adding some depth to their frontcourt. One player who has popped up as a potential trade target is John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks, so let's take a look at the perfect trade package that Brooklyn could send over in an effort to land Collins.

Nets get: John Collins

Hawks get: Edmond Sumner, Patty Mills, 2023 1st-round pick

The Nets frontcourt has been very shallow in depth this season, especially with T.J. Warren only recently making his debut for Brooklyn. Even with Warren back on the floor, it's clear the Nets are going to need some more height if they want to emerge as a true title contender this season, which makes a potential move for Collins a good idea.

Collins has been having a strange season so far with the Atlanta Hawks, as he's been on the outside looking in of their offense so far. With Dejounte Murray and Trae Young both taking over 18 shots per game, it has left way fewer shots for Collins to take. He's struggled unsurprisingly, and once again, Atlanta is exploring potential trades for him.

Collins' numbers are down across the board to start the season (12.3 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 48.4 FG%, 21.9 3P%) and it's been a bit concerning to see him struggle this much. Collins isn't playing his style of basketball, as he spends way too much of his time sitting at the perimeter in an effort to space the floor for Young and Murray.

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Ty Jerome Cavaliers
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The Nets could use Collins in more of a “big man” capacity, per se. They need more help on the glass behind Nic Claxton, as that's easily their biggest weakness right now. Collins averaged a double-double in points and rebounds back in the 2019-20 season, so it's clear that when he's used in the proper role, he can be a game changer.

It's fair to wonder whether Collins has regressed, but it looks like he's just being underutilized by the Hawks at the moment. His three-point shooting is a very big concern, but there's a decent chance that will even itself out eventually. It doesn't help how Collins' lack of involvement in the paint has basically reduced him to a catch and shoot player right now, which just isn't what he is.

John Collins' value is at an all-time low based on how bad he has looked this season, which makes sense. The Nets will likely still have to tack on a first-round pick, but they have their own for the 2023 draft, and if they keep on winning that will reduce it's value to the point where including it in this deal isn't an overpay.

In order to pick up some frontcourt depth, the Nets would have to give up some of their backcourt depth in Edmond Sumner and Patty Mills. Sumner has taken on a bigger role this season, and while he's been a solid two-way player, it feels like it would be much more beneficial to give the minutes he's getting to Cam Thomas, who has a ton of offensive upside.

The same goes for Mills, who's found himself on the outside of the rotation looking in this season. Mills is a solid two-way guard when he's used, and his shooting could help the Hawks space their offense the way they want to, but if he's not playing for Brooklyn, it makes a lot of sense to explore moving him.

This would allow Seth Curry and Thomas to become the top two guards off the bench, with Joe Harris filling his wing role for Brooklyn. Collins could be started over Royce O'Neale, and Ben Simmons could be moved to the backcourt alongside Kyrie Irving. This deal would work out for both sides quite well, and it will be interesting to see whether any traction on a deal gets made in the future.