Hawks Facing Tough Decision Regarding John Collins' Future

With the Hawks reportedly open to discussing deals for the 25-year-old forward, John Collins’ future in Atlanta is beginning to look hazy.

Trading for Dejounte Murray turned out to be a great move for the Atlanta Hawks this past offseason, as they have begun the 2022-23 NBA season with a 9-6 record and they are near the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

However, the Hawks continue to mull decisions regarding their future, especially in regards to John Collins and what he can bring to the table next to Trae Young and Dejounte Murray long-term.

The Hawks’ championship window is very small in a crowded Eastern Conference, which is why their front-office has remained aggressive in terms of brainstorming ideas to potentially add even more talent.

Could this involve moving Collins though?

The idea of the Hawks moving John Collins has been around for quite a while now, as there was talk of Atlanta looking to trade him before they agreed to a five-year, $125 million deal ahead of last season.

Now, The Athletic’s Shams Charania is reporting that the Hawks are once again utilizing Collins in trade talks around the league with some teams reaching out to Atlanta about his availability.

According to Charania, the Phoenix Suns are a team that has shown desire in Collins, but Phoenix is weary about the idea of taking on the remainder of his contract, as Collins is still owed $78.5 million past this season.

This is the tricky part with a potential John Collins trade, as many teams around the league do not have the ability to add a player making more than $20 million, especially if said player is not in the final year of his contract.

Collins is under contract through the 2024-25 season and then he has a $26.6 million player option for the 2025-26 season, making it very difficult for any team in the league to tie themselves down to him.

At the same time though, because John Collins is making so much money, the Hawks can be aggressive in trade talks involving him as they look to add even more talent around Young and Murray.

Being just 25-years-old, Collins still possesses potential for growth and he has shown flashes of this star-like potential with the Atlanta Hawks.

Even though they could potentially get a handful of draft picks and secondary talents for him in a trade this season, keeping Collins and figuring out new ways to get him involved seems like the smartest move for the Hawks long-term.

Teams that will be vying for Collins ahead of the trade deadline will all be teams competing for playoff position and it may not be the smartest idea for Atlanta to give up their former first-round pick to one of these teams, especially if they are in the Eastern Conference!

Looking at teams in the Western Conference that could be interested in Collins, it is really hard to pinpoint where the Hawks could receive immediate value from that would be an upgrade from what they currently have.

There really isn’t a team in the Western Conference other than the Los Angeles Lakers with Russell Westbrook that is looking to move a big contract, so the Hawks would essentially be forfeiting their $20 million-plus slot that is currently occupied by John Collins if they were to make a deal right now.

Obviously it never hurts to feel out value on the open market and see what other teams could potentially offer, but right now, it may not be the smartest thing for the Hawks to pursue a trade involving Collins. Closer to the deadline though, more clarity on this situation will present itself.

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