Hawks Frustrations Becoming Concerning, Latest Trade Deadline Talk And More - Siegel's Scoop

The Atlanta Hawks continue to deal with internal drama, teams around the league are beginning to talk about trade deadline plans and more in the latest edition of Siegel’s Scoop.

Less than two weeks before the start of 2023, the NBA finds itself in a place where there is no longer a talent gap between teams.

Every team in both the Eastern and Western Conferences is proving to be competitive each and every night, which has created one of the most competitive seasons we have seen in recent years.

The Atlanta Hawks are once again an interesting team to watch in the Eastern Conference, especially with the arrival of All-Star guard Dejounte Murray. Alongside Trae Young, the Hawks have created one of the better backcourt duos in the entire league, but Murray has missed the team's last five games due to a sprained left ankle, an injury that he should be returning from as soon as Monday when the Hawks host the Orlando Magic.

Along with Murray being out, the Hawks have also been without 2017 first-round pick John Collins, who has been dealing with a left ankle sprain as well. 

Unlike Dejounte Murray though, Collins finds himself at a crossroads with the Hawks right now, as his name has been relevant in trade conversations dating back to the trade deadline last season.

Ahead of the trade deadline a season ago, The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported that Collins had grown "increasingly frustrated" over his role in Atlanta and following the conclusion of the 2021-22 season, Fastbreak on FanNation learned that several playoff contending teams had reached out to the Hawks to inquire about the forward’s availability.

This past offseason, John Collins was once again a key talking point in trade talks revolving around Atlanta and now this season, the Hawks interest in hearing offers for Collins has not gone away.

The Hawks are looking for a high-level scorer that can compliment both Dejounte Murray and Trae Young by playing off-the-ball in trade talks for Collins and they are also wanting a first-round pick that would come within the next few seasons, sources told Fastbreak.

Recently, Charania reported that the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets, Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks have all shown a level of interest in John Collins. Several weeks back, Fastbreak on FanNation outlined Brooklyn’s potential interest in Collins and what the framework of a deal could look like on the Nets’ side of things.

Two teams to watch closely in regards to trade talks for John Collins are the Indiana Pacers and Phoenix Suns, as both of these teams have a clear need at the power forward position.

Indiana has the ability to put together a lucrative offer for Collins with players like Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith and Chris Duarte, as Phoenix may have interest in not only trading Jae Crowder, but Cameron Johnson as well ahead of the trade deadline, sources said, if they can get a player of Collins’ caliber to fill this hole at power forward that they currently have.

However, the Suns would have to juggle some more obstacles in any trade scenario for John Collins, as they are currently a taxpaying team and would have a tough time bringing in Collins’ $23.5 million cap hit this season without tearing apart their bench.

Many around the league are beginning to watch the Atlanta Hawks closely in regards to the foundation of this organization showing some cracks.

John Collins frustrations were made public last season, Cam Reddish’s frustrations ultimately led to him getting traded, many have questioned Trae Young’s leadership abilities and most recently, there were conflicting reports about Young and head coach Nate McMillan getting into an argument that led to the All-Star guard sitting out a game.

Right now, the Atlanta Hawks are handling things internally and trying to move forward with the talent they currently have on their roster, but down the road, Trae Young becoming available in trade talks past this season and/or requesting a trade is a possibility that some around the league have begun to think about.

Young, who is in the first year of a new five-year, $215 million deal with the Hawks, is however fully committed to the Hawks and has fully embraced his superstar status in Atlanta.

Outside of the Atlanta Hawks, the New York Knicks have also become a key talking point in regards to trade talks leading up to the trade deadline this season.

New York has struggled with finding consistency on the offensive-end of the floor and it appears as if team president Leon Rose and general manager Scott Perry will be “open for business” in regards to trade talks.

Veterans Evan Fournier and Derrick Rose, as well as recent first-round pick Immanuel Quickley, are names the Knicks could look to move on from with Fournier and Rose being two players that have higher paying contracts that extend past this season.

Cam Reddish is another interesting name that has generated the most interest in trade discussions thus far. Per NY Daily News, the Knicks have already begun working with Reddish’s representatives on a potential trade and sources say the Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls and Portland Trail Blazers are a few of the teams with interest in the 23-year-old wing.

Speaking of the Bulls, they are another team that finds themselves in a similar position to the Hawks in the sense that they are at a point where they must evaluate their chances of winning right now compared to where they are at for the future.

Lonzo Ball’s knee continues to be a dark cloud hanging over this franchise and with no timetable laid out for his potential return this season, the Bulls may begin to find themselves in some trouble.

Chicago is currently outside of the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference and if the Bulls decide to blow things up right now to get the most value that they can, several of their players will be in high demand around the league.

Patrick Williams and Coby White are two recent first-round picks on the back-end of their rookie contracts that could bring a handful of future value to Chicago and Alex Caruso is a very intriguing, defensive-minded asset that several playoff teams around the league could utilize right away.

Set to make about $28.4 million through the 2024-25 season with the final year of his contract being partially-guaranteed for just $3 million, Caruso’s contract is favorable to many teams across the league that are searching for experienced and proven bench talents.

If he was to become available in trade talks, the Golden State Warriors, Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers are all teams who would likely have interest in pursuing Caruso to add more backcourt depth.

As for the likes of DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic and Zach LaVine, the Bulls’ three All-Star talents, Chicago has not shown a willingness to talk about the idea of trading any of their core players yet. However, things can change rapidly heading towards the trade deadline, as one league source recently told Fastbreak that the Bulls are “currently evaluating themselves and all of their options.”

There has already been some talk about the Lakers possibly viewing DeRozan and Vucevic as trade targets in a deal that would have to involve Russell Westbrook for financial reasons.

Compared to last season when we saw All-Star-like talents such as Domantas Sabonis, CJ McCollum, Tyrese Haliburton and Kristaps Porzingis moved ahead of the trade deadline, this season’s trade deadline will most likely feature a lot more secondary talents who can instantly help playoff contending teams with where they are in their conference’s standings.

Other News, Notes & Rumors From Around The NBA:

Charlotte Hornets: Kelly Oubre Jr. is a player many around the league believe could wind up being a “hot commodity” given that he is in the final year of his contract and putting together a solid season with the Charlotte Hornets. In 30 games this season, Oubre has averaged a career-best 20.7 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 42.6 percent from the floor. Teams like the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings could all benefit from adding a versatile talent like Kelly Oubre on the wing.

Detroit Pistons: There has been a lot of talk in league circles recently about the Detroit Pistons exploring the possibility of dealing veteran Bojan Bogdanovic, even though he recently signed a two-year extension. According to HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto, the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, and Atlanta Hawks are among the many teams that have expressed trade interest in Bogdanovic, but the Pistons have not budged and have not shown any signs that they want to deal the veteran forward. While Detroit may not be willing to part with Bogdanovic just yet, there is a belief that the Pistons will be willing to trade Saddiq Bey for the right price. However, they have yet to engage in trade conversations involving Bey with any team.

New Orleans Pelicans: The New Orleans Pelicans are interested in the idea of moving 2019 first-round pick Jaxson Hayes and a future draft pick in order to bring in another ‘win-now” talent that can help them make a push for the top-seed in the Western Conference, sources tell Fastbreak. Rui Hachimura (Washington Wizards), Rudy Gay (Utah Jazz) and Jarred Vanderbilt (Utah Jazz) are some players whose contracts align with that of Hayes’ current deal and if the Pelicans are willing to spend a little more money, they could look to pursue players like Jae’Sean Tate (Houston Rockets), Alex Caruso (Chicago Bulls) or Terrence Ross (Orlando Magic) for added bench depth on the perimeter.

Phoenix Suns: Jae Crowder trade talks continue to be ongoing, but multiple league sources tell Fastbreak on FanNation that the Phoenix Suns and Milwaukee Bucks remain engaged in trade conversations. Milwaukee has not stopped their pursuit of Crowder and just over a month ago, these two teams were close to making a deal that also involved the Houston Rockets. KJ Martin and Eric Gordon are two players currently in Houston that the Suns have on their radar.

Washington Wizards: Rui Hachimura is a name that has popped up in conversations lately, as many tend to believe that the Washington Wizards are willing to trade him now rather than agree to a long-term deal with Hachimura once he becomes a restricted free agent in the summer. Washington is also expected to pursue options using their two trade exceptions of $5.2 million and $3.9 million before the trade deadline. 

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