There are rumors circulating that the Atlanta Hawks are looking to make some more trades after already dealing Cam Reddish. Reports indicate that anyone outside of Trae Young and Clint Capela is available. The first name that pops out, in that case, is John Collins. The high-flying power forward is one of the better big men in the league and is still playing well regardless of the Hawks’ struggles. Collins is averaging about 17 points and eight rebounds per game.
Two John Collins Trade Ideas
Dallas gets involved
The trade: Atlanta sends Collins and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Dallas Mavericks for Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock, Trey Burke, and a future first-round pick.
Dallas has been an admirer of Collins for some time now. His fit may be something to be figured out alongside Kristaps Porzingis, but adding even more talent around Luka Doncic is always a good idea. Porzingis can play the five, so Collins can slide into the four. Collins’ offensive skillsets, on paper, look like a match made in heaven for Doncic. The Mavericks’ defense has been much improved this season, but they can still use rim-protecting help.
Atlanta is looking for defense and definitely gets it here. Kleber remains one of the more underrated defenders in the league. He’s both tough and athletic and can guard multiple positions including all in the frontcourt. He’s also an above-average shooter from deep. The same goes for Bullock but in the backcourt. Bullock has struggled in Dallas but showed his true skills last season with the New York Knicks. Atlanta has a number of shooting specialists, so adding another never hurts.
Lastly, Burke is another offensive weapon to rotate with the aging Lou Williams and the first-round pick is always a bonus.
Sacramento aims for the playoffs
The trade: Atlanta sends Collins and Luwawu-Cabarrot to the Sacramento Kings for Harrison Barnes and Davion Mitchell.
Sacramento has talent but continues to fail to make the playoffs. A splash like this can help. The high-flying Collins should thrive with the backcourt Sacramento has, and should also form a very formidable frontcourt alongside Richaun Holmes. Opponents will fear driving to the basket on offense, but also fear the pick-and-roll on defense. This leaves Sacramento with a hole at the three, but they can attempt to address this with a Buddy Hield trade.
Barnes has quietly performed very well in both Dallas and Sacramento after leaving the Golden State Warriors. He’s also still 29-years-old, so he fits in the Hawks’ current window as well as for the next couple of seasons. Barnes is averaging about 16 points per game. He’s also known as a leader and strong locker-room presence.
As mentioned earlier, Atlanta is looking for defense. Mitchell, who was just selected in the 2021 NBA Draft lottery, is a stud defender. Young has his defensive deficiencies, but Mitchell alongside him can mask a lot of those. Mitchell, of course, is also just 23-years-old. He can start alongside Young for years to come, giving Atlanta a backcourt they can trust.
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