John Collins Rumors: 'No Mandate' for Hawks to Get 1st-Round Pick in Trade Return

The Atlanta Hawks have lowered the asking price on John Collins ahead of the Feb. 9 trade deadline, per Sam Amick of The Athletic.

"There is a focus on landing a quality player, or players, in return but no mandate for a first-round pick," Amick reported.

Collins is considered the "most likely" to be traded among the Hawks' key players as they try to stay under the luxury tax. The forward is set to make $51.9 million over the next two seasons, plus he has a $26.6 million player option for 2025-26.

Clint Capela and De'Andre Hunter will both make at least $20 million per year during this time, and Trae Young will top $40 million each season. Dejounte Murray, meanwhile, is eligible for an extension in the offseason and "remains a major priority," per Amick.

The Utah Jazz and Houston Rockets have shown interest in Collins this season, per Shams Charania and Kelly Iko of The Athletic, although head of basketball operations Landry Fields has indicated he won't just "dump" the valued player, per Charania.

Atlanta promoted Fields from assistant general manager to general manager before the season, and he made another move to head of basketball operations when Travis Schlenk stepped down in December. The former NBA guard could take a different view when building the organization than his predecessor, who often dangled Collins in trade talks.

According to Matt Moore of Action Network, the Hawks are "unlikely to trade" the 25-year-old.

It could create a tough decision as the team tries to climb the standings in the second half of the year.

Atlanta entered Wednesday with a 25-26 record, good for eighth in the Eastern Conference.