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In the early days of the NBA offseason, there aren’t many bigger stories than John Collins trade rumors. This summer is a big one for the Atlanta Hawks after a disappointing 2021-22 campaign.
Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Clint Capela have all been suggested as trade targets ahead of the Draft. Should the triumvirate remain on the team following Thursday’s draft, it’s far from a guarantee that they will be on the opening day roster. It’s unclear as yet what the Hawks offseason plan is, but significant changes are inevitable as they aim to construct a contender around Trae Young.
John Collins trade rumors 2022
A high-flying athlete with a vastly improved three-point shot, Collins has developed into one of the better non-star forwards in the league. He’s no longer a turnstile on defense as he once was, and he’s effective as a screener, diving to the basket or popping for an outside shot. There are a lot of John Collins trade fits, but constructing a reasonable deal is not as straight-forward.
Kings move for John Collins
A John Collins trade to the Kings has been speculated consistently over the last few weeks. A deal based around Atlanta sending the 16th pick with Collins to acquire the Kings’ fourth overall selection is one framework that makes sense. This would require the inclusion of salary from Sacramento, however, and has led to Atlanta appearing in Harrison Barnes trade rumors.
Moving down 12 spots to swap Barnes for Collins is a steep price for the Kings. Their playoff mandate is well known, yet the deal would surely require more from Atlanta.
There are also substantial questions to be asked about Collins’ fit alongside De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Collins has improved as a defender, but that defense is still really going to struggle. For Atlanta, Barnes brings a lot of what they need on the wing, and pairing Jaden Ivey with Young would be a lot of fun for the neutral.
Brogdon joins Trae
The Pacers have also been engaged with Sacramento. Malcolm Brogdon is reportedly a man in demand. Brogdon and Collins have similar contracts, albeit with the former having an extra year. He’s an injury risk, but he’s a good backcourt fit with Young. The defence, ball handling and off-ball shooting would cover for Young’s weaknesses at one end and make it harder to trap on offense.
A straight-up swap feels pretty even. That’s not doing anything for the Pacers, though. They will want draft compensation. The Hawks probably aren’t too keen to give up this year’s first for Brogdon – perhaps they send a protected future first or Charlotte’s 2023 first.
If we want to get really ambitious with these John Collins trade rumors, Atlanta could even swing a bigger deal using Danilo Gallinari’s contract to include Myles Turner in the deal. The 16th pick with Collins and Gallinari could be the basis for a trade for Turner and Brogdon (Indiana would likely ask for another future pick). This concept only has any real chance if the Pacers fancy Collins as a building block and the Hawks flip Capela elsewhere.
Spurs send picks for Collins
Is there a world where the San Antonio Spurs trade for Collins into their sizeable cap space? There is no requirement to send out salary, which could be appealing to Atlanta given the traded player exception this would create.
San Antonio has the ninth, 20th and 25th picks in Thursday’s draft. Already with a solid core of young talent, the Spurs could look to consolidate by acquiring a player like Collins to play alongside Dejounte Murray, Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson. Collins can cover for Jakob Poeltl’s offensive limitations, and Poeltl’s rim protection compensates for Collins’ so-so defense.
This is a longshot, but the Spurs have been mentioned in John Collins trade rumors of late. Atlanta could use those picks to pull off another trade either moving up in the draft or adding a veteran wing.
Hawks swap Collins, Capela for Gobert
Maybe the most common Collins trade pondered over the last few weeks sees the former Wake Forest forward return to Utah with the Jazz along with Clint Capela. Atlanta would acquire Rudy Gobert in this scenario.
The Frenchman is an obvious upgrade on Capela. He’s expensive, sure, but Gobert and Young would be a nightmare to defend in the pick-and-roll, and he’s the sort of defensive anchor the Hawks need alongside their All-Star point guard.
This feels a fair deal without any draft picks involved. Adding further pieces from either side will depend on the direction Utah chooses to go in – the Hawks could look to acquire Royce O’Neale for further defensive help on the wing, while the Jazz will inevitably ask about De’Andre Hunter to aid their post-Gobert defense if they are looking to compete.
