The Atlanta Hawks have once again listed up to the trade block their $125 million-dollar man in John Collins, per The Athletic’s Shams Charania.
The Hawks have been actively looking to shop Collins since the midway point of last season but were unsuccessful in finding any partners. Rumors indicate that the Hawks were looking for another superstar in return, but this time around, they’re reportedly willing to settle for a two-way role player like Phoenix Suns‘ Jae Crowder.
The 19th pick of the 2017 NBA Draft has had a solid run with the Hawks, especially in his second year, where he blossomed into averaging 19.5 points per game. Not to mention the 9.8 rebounds he averaged that same 2018-2019 season, and with the pairing of him and Trae Young, it was inevitable for this team to make a deep run one day.
Sure enough, the Hawks made an improbable run as the 5th-seed in the 2021 playoffs, with the team pulling a gentleman’s sweep on the tough-minded New York Knicks. The fans of the latter were letting Young have it all series long. The vibes were similar once they went on the road to play the one-seeded Philadelphia 76ers, where they ultimately stole a Game 7 victory.
The team’s resilience showed because of the maturity Collins and Young displayed. However, it wasn’t enough that year to stop the eventual champion, Milwaukee Bucks.
Fast forward to the first 15 games of this season, and Collins hasn’t been able to prove his value as one of the elite power forwards in today’s game. This season, Collins is averaging 12.6 points per game and has struggled mightily to shoot while averaging 22.7 percent from downtown.
The team brought in Dejounte Murray this offseason in hopes of becoming serious title contenders, and so far, they’ve proven it.
The Hawks currently ride in 3rd place in the Eastern Conference, and one of their notable victories was breaking the undefeated Bucks season. Though the team has taken its strides, they oddly enough feel Collins won’t be the piece to the puzzle to the franchise’s first championship.
