John Collins Trade Rumors: Wizards Have Had 'Numerous Talks' with Hawks over PF

The Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks have reportedly had trade discussions involving forward John Collins ahead of Thursday's deadline.

According to Quinton Mayo of Substack, the Wizards and Hawks have engaged in "numerous conversations," with Collins being at the center of those talks.

Acquiring Collins would require a significant commitment from the Wizards since he signed a five-year, $125 million contract with the Hawks in August and is under contract through at least the 2024-25 season.

The 24-year-old is in the midst of his fifth NBA season, all of which have been spent with the Hawks. He has put up strong numbers throughout his career, and that has largely continued this season, as he is averaging 17.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 three-pointers made and 1.1 blocks per game while shooting 54.1 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from beyond the arc.

Collins is just two years removed from averaging a career-high 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, but the offense now runs through guard Trae Young more than ever before.

In an interview with The Athletic's Chris Kirschner in January, Collins essentially admitted he is frustrated with his role, saying:

"I don't love it, but I'm trying to do my best to try to play through it. I just want to be utilized to the best of my ability to maximize production. I understand that we have a lot of guys on this team who can score. I understand that there has to be some sacrifice for us to reach our goals. I'm trying to be the best pro I can."

With Young leading the way, the Hawks went on a surprising run to the Eastern Conference Finals as the No. 5 seed.

Collins averaged just 13.9 points per game during the playoffs, though, which is below his career regular-season scoring average of 16.7 points per contest.

The Young-centric offense has led to huge numbers for the Oklahoma product this season, but it hasn't resulted in a ton of team success.

Entering play Wednesday, the Hawks are just 26-28, which is only good enough for 10th in the Eastern Conference. That could compel Atlanta to make a big move in order to shake things up.

Trading Collins would qualify, as he has been the Hawks' No. 2 offensive option since Young entered the league. In the event of a Collins trade, center Clint Capela would likely take on a greater scoring burden in the paint, while Kevin Huerter, Danilo Gallinari, De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanovic would be asked to do more offensively as well.

Acquiring Collins would be a move for the future from Washington's perspective since star guard Bradley Beal is set to miss the remainder of the season with a wrist injury.

Assuming the Wizards are able to sign Beal to a long-term contract extension during the offseason, Collins could be his main running mate for a long time to come.

It is unclear what the Wizards would be willing or able to offer for Collins aside from draft pick compensation, but Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Rui Hachimura and Deni Avdija are a few of the players who could interest Atlanta.