John Collins Trade Rumors: Hawks Getting 'Steady Stream of Calls' About Star PF
March 11, 2021
The Atlanta Hawks have reportedly received "a steady stream of calls" regarding the availability of forward John Collins ahead of the NBA trade deadline, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst (3:00 mark):
Collins, who will enter free agency after this season, has averaged 18.0 points on 53.6 shooting from the field for the 16-20 Hawks.
The 23-year-old, the team's No. 19 pick out of Wake Forest in 2017, is also averaging 7.6 rebounds and shooting 38.8 percent from deep.
Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium reported in mid-February that the Hawks were seeking a lottery-level pick in exchange for the 2017-18 All-Rookie selection.
Collins is on the books for $4.1 million this season and would be due a $5.9 million qualifying offer before he hits restricted free agency this summer, per Spotrac. He refused a $90 million extension ahead of this season, a move that sources said signaled that "his days in Atlanta were numbered," per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
He told Kirschner a year ago that he believed he was "in max contract contention."
But Hawks general manager Travis Schlenk said the Hawks "view him as part of our team" and don't "see a restricted free agency situation where we would just let him walk for nothing" (via Kirschner).
Atlanta has a way to go before becoming a legitimate competitor that will appear deep into the postseason, and if Collins is on the move, the roles of Trae Young and Clint Capela in the rebuild will only become more prominent.