Today is Atlanta Hawks' Last Chance to Save Season

The Atlanta Hawks are running out of time to make a season-saving trade.

The NBA trade deadline is less than a few hours away. At 3:00 p.m. EST, teams will no longer be allowed to conduct trades until the offseason. After the Brooklyn Nets kicked off a rebuild midseason, Hawks fans anxiously await the front office's moves.

Atlanta's front office has made no secret about their desire to move John Collins. General manager Landy Fields and assistant general manager Kyle Korver have been rumored to want a player and a first-round draft pick for Collins.

As of yesterday afternoon, reporting indicated that the market was cooling on Collins. After three years of constant trade rumors coupled with Collins' career-low shooting numbers, the 25-year-old's standing in the league is at an all-time low.

John Collins, Trae Young, and Dejounte Murray during a game / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

If Collins is not moved by this afternoon, that precludes any major move from happening for Atlanta. Every other player in head coach Nate McMillan's rotation is considered safe. 

The front office could make moves around the periphery, but nothing short of a significant roster shakeup will save the team from an early postseason exit. Atlanta sits at 27-28 and is eighth in the Eastern Conference standings.

That is just one game better than where the team was at the trade deadline last year. Fans will remember the team punted on the trade deadline last year, dropped a new team mantra ("win the race"), and got run off the floor by the San Antonio Spurs in the next game.

Fields and Korver are not wrong for hesitating about trading Collins at a discounted price. However, it's clear the current roster is incapable of making a deep playoff run. Their 23rd-ranked net rating is an embarrassment for a team that fancies itself a championship contender.

Brooklyn's implosion only accentuates Atlanta's need to gain ground while the Eastern Conference is in flux. As time runs out on the trade deadline, let's see if Atlanta's front office takes a shot at winning.