John Collins on Suns' Radar According to Bleacher Report
Leading up to the Feb. 9 trade deadline, the Phoenix Suns can’t seem to keep their names out of trade rumors.
According to Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus, the Suns are one of the eight teams that have been linked to Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins.
"Collins is one of the most talked-about names on the trade market all season; he's been connected to various teams, including the Phoenix Suns, Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans, Cleveland Cavaliers, Mavericks and Clippers," said Pincus.
Collins is currently averaging 13.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists. He is on pace for his worst offensive season since his rookie campaign where he averaged 10.5 points.
While Collins would be a great addition for Phoenix, the emergence of Cam Johnson since his injury makes this very tricky. Johnson’s 14.8 points per game is better than what Collins is producing for Atlanta.
Phoenix wanted to promote Johnson to a starting role; Would either him or Collins be okay with taking a reduced role?
Phoenix may want to focus more on acquiring a guard as Chris Paul might need someone that he can rely on to eat up big minutes especially in the playoffs where the 37-year-old has a track record of suffering injuries.
On the other hand, trading for Collins is enticing because of his size and ability to play both in the post and at the perimeter. Collins paired up with Ayton in the front court could be a scary sight for opponents to match up against.
As the Suns are currently constructed, their power forwards are more 3 and D type players but the addition of Collins would add more versatility hence making them more unpredictable to read.
Is trading for Collins the right move for Phoenix to make? It's up to James Jones and the Suns' front office to figure that out.
