After a flurry of extensions on Monday, a few players were left without long-term deals, including Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins. Collins and the Hawks didn't agree to an extension, so now he's set to become a restricted free agent after this season.
On the daily Locked On Hawks podcast, host Brad Rowland reacted to the news that Collins didn't sign an extension and explained why it wasn't surprising. However, the ball is in Collins' court now to prove himself:
Brad Rowland: I'm not terribly surprised by this. I would say it's not a time to panic or be angry if you're a Hawks fan. Yes, it would have been nice for the team to get a bargain extension with John Collins. I don't think that that was going to be in the cards ever, given what Collins was asking for. If he plays well, you can still keep him and there's no problem there.
My overarching approach to young guys and extensions on rookie contracts is that unless they're an absolute no-brainer, a max-level player, like next summer Trae Young will be a no-brainer maximum signing… Guys who are a little bit short of that like Collins, I don't think he's a max guy right now. If he plays great this year, and he has to get the max, that's totally fine if you're the Hawks. However, if you're the team on a rookie-scale extension, the only reason to do an extension is if you're getting a team-friendly deal, which Collins did not seem willing to do. There was some pretty big money available today to some guys. So I'm sure the Hawks were not going to be in a great position to get a discount there.
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