John Collins Trade Rumors: Hawks Star Not Likely to Be Moved During 2022 NBA Draft

Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins is unlikely to be traded during the 2022 NBA draft Thursday, according to The Athletic's Chris Kirschner.

The news comes after NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday that Collins was likely to be moved this summer.

While Collins likely won't be on the move Thursday, a number of teams are reportedly interested in the 2017 first-round pick, including the Sacramento Kings and San Antonio Spurs.

The Athletic's Sam Amick reported Thursday the Kings were believed to be front-runners in trade discussions for Collins but that the Hawks viewed Sacramento's offer as "underwhelming."

Amick added the Kings would not include the No. 4 pick in negotiations. Sacramento went on to select Iowa's Keegan Murray fourth overall.

As for the Spurs, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported the franchise has discussed a deal for Collins that includes Dejounte Murray, who has spent his entire six-year career in San Antonio and earned an All-Star selection in 2021-22 after averaging 21.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 9.2 assists per game.

The Spurs also owned the No. 9 pick in this year's draft and went on to select Baylor's Jeremy Sochan. It's unclear if San Antonio made the ninth overall selection available for trade leading up to the draft.

The Hawks could have parted ways with Collins when he was a restricted free agent last offseason. However, the two sides agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal with an average annual value worth $25 million.

That's a pretty big price to pay for Collins, who saw his numbers dip during the 2021-22 season. The 24-year-old averaged 16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 54 games while shooting 52.6 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from deep.

Considering the Hawks are searching for another star player to pair with point guard Trae Young, it's not necessarily surprising that Collins has been made available in discussions. That said, it's unclear which superstar Atlanta might be looking to add.