Hawks Open Up Trade Negotiations for John Collins

The Atlanta Hawks are putting combo big man John Collins on the trading block.

John Collins Now Available in Trade Talks

The Atlanta Hawks are now bent on shaking up their roster this season. According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Hawks’ front office is now open to “preliminary trade discussions” centering on John Collins. Charania mentioned that a number of teams have already inquired about the availability of Collins, including the championship-chasing Phoenix Suns.

John Collins, who is in his sixth year with the Hawks, has seen his production dip this season. Through the first 15 games, he is logging 31.6 minutes and putting up 12.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.7 steals, and 1.4 blocks per contest. Collins is struggling shooting the ball, as he is only norming a 49.3% overall clip from the field, including 22.7% from the three-point line. His fit with the team has some obvious concerns, especially with head coach Nate McMillan also giving significant minutes to big men Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. The team also has two rising wing players in De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson who could also play the power forward positions, so they have enough weaponry even if they let go of Collins’ services.

Still, John Collins has already proven that he has what it takes to thrive in the NBA. He is only 25 years of age, which means that he still has a lot of room for improvement. Interested teams might become hesitant with Collins’ current contract (five-year, $125 million through the 2025-26 season), but he could move the needle when he’s put in the right situation.

Charania also mentioned that the Hawks are still recently observing the availability of Suns veteran 3-and-D forward Jae Crowder, who has requested a trade this season.