John Collins Rumors: Rockets Have 'Real' Interest in Hawks PF Ahead of Trade Deadline

The Houston Rockets are reportedly the latest team to take a look at trading for Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins.

Per The Athletic's Kelly Iko, "the interest is real" on the Rockets' part in acquiring Collins ahead of the Feb. 9 deadline.

Iko noted the Rockets attempted to acquire Collins as part of the four-team trade that sent Clint Capela from Houston to Atlanta in 2020.

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Christmas Day that former Rockets star James Harden would "seriously" consider returning to Houston this summer if he doesn't re-sign with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Houston's reported connections to Collins and Harden suggest a vastly different approach to roster building than governor Tilman Fertitta was talking about last offseason.

Speaking to reporters in June, Fertitta emphasized the importance of building through the draft.

"When you look at Boston and you look at Golden State, those are teams that are great because those are all players that were drafted," Fertitta said. "Their big core was drafted players. Sometimes bad things have to happen for you to be great."

The Rockets are in the third year of their rebuild, but the results aren't getting any better. Their 11-38 record is the worst in the NBA.

Jalen Green is averaging a career-high 21.7 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, but the second-year player's efficiency is a problem with a 41.1 field-goal percentage and 53.3 true shooting percentage.

Jabari Smith Jr., the No. 3 pick in the 2022 draft, has shown flashes of what made him a high lottery selection, but he's only shooting 39.2 percent.

Collins has been on the trade block for years, though the Hawks have yet to find an offer to their liking. They have started playing better with six wins in their last eight games. The Hawks are in eighth place in the Eastern Conference, two games behind the Miami Heat for the No. 6 seed.

This is the second season of Collins' five-year, $125 million contract signed in 2021. His production has decreased this season as Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, De'Andre Hunter and Bogdan Bogdanović shoulder most of the offensive load.

Collins is averaging 13.4 points on 10.3 field-goal attempts per game. Both would be his lowest averages since he was a rookie in 2017-18.