There’s a darn good chance we’ll see a John Collins trade from the Atlanta Hawks between now and Thursday’s NBA Draft.
Atlanta is coming off an ugly first-round exit at the hands of the Miami Heat in the 2022 NBA Playoffs. Front office head Travis Schlenk is using that as a guise to potentially create widespread changes behind Trae Young on the roster. That will more than likely include the Hawks moving their talented big man.
According to this note from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, the San Antonio Spurs are among those interested in a John Collins trade.
Despite missing the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, Gregg Popovich and Co. are not looking to go into full-scale rebuild mode. They want to build around star guard Dejounte Murray and their young core. Acquiring Collins would do just that. Below, we look at why this would make sense for San Antonio and Atlanta.
Related: 2022 San Antonio Spurs draft picks, mock draft and ideal scenarios
San Antonio Spurs boast the assets to pull off a John Collins trade
San Antonio has three first-round picks (9th, 20th and 25th) as well a the 38th selection in the second round. Using some of these assets to entice Atlanta would make sense. For the Hawks, they are using Collins as bait to move up rom the 16th selection into the top-10. Acquiring the 20th selection or simply moving up from 16 to nine could work out well for the Hawks.
Meanwhile, San Antonio has players that might be of interest in a potential Collins swap. It will be needed given the forward’s value and the finances in today’s NBA.
- John Collins contract: 5 years, $125 million
Any deal would likely include underrated center Jakob Poeltl heading to Atlanta. Perhaps, he’d enable the Hawks to flip Clint Capela for other assets. The cut-and-roll big would be a great fit with Young. Meawhile, Atlanta could also demand someone like Josh Richardson and young guard Tre Jones to make this worth its while. Remember, the Hawks have struggled finding a good backup ball-handler behind Mr. Young. Keldon Johnson could also be the headliner in a potential John Collins trade.
Related: 2022 NBA mock draft
John Collins would be a great fit with Dejounte Murray
Right now, the Spurs are a perimeter oriented team. In addition to Murray, they have a surplus of wings. That includes Johnson, Lonnie Walker, Devin Vassell and Joshua Primo. Adding a big to the mix to go with an All-Star point guard in Murray would be a boon.
- John Collins stats (2018-22): 18.5 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 56% shooting, 38% 3-point
Collins’ ability to stretch the court from the four would create another layer to a struggling Spurs offense. San Antonio would also have the ninth pick to add another high-upside player to go with the 24-year-old Collins and a still-young Murray.
Related: Ideal John Collins trade scenarios
How a John Collins trade to the San Antonio Spurs might look
- Spurs get: John Collins, Clint Capela
- Hawks get: Keldon Johnson, Jakob Poeltl, Josh Richardson, 20th pick, 2nd-round pick
This is a much broader trade idea. But it makes sense for both teams. In reality, the 22-year-old Johnson would be the centerpice heading back to Atlanta. The wing averaged 17.0 points and 6.1 rebounds while shooting 40% from distance a season ago.
Acquiring him would enable Atlanta to pull off separate deals to move Danilo Gallinari and/or Bogdan Bogdanovic. The Hawks could then package their pick and the 20th selection to move into the top-10.
In return, San Antonio moves off its surplus of wings. The idea would be to give Devin Vassell an opportunity at the three with Lonnie Walker starting at the two next to Murray. The Spurs would still have the ninth pick while being able to flip Capela for other assets.