NBA Rumors: 3 Teams Still In Pursuit Of John Collins

His name is perennially on the trade block, but somehow, he's still an Atlanta Hawk. Will this be the transaction cycle that John Collins is finally dealt? NBA Insider Marc Stein hears conflicting rumors on that front:

Atlanta’s new front office regime, headed by president of basketball operations Landry Fields and the recently elevated Kyle Korver, has sought to send the message that it has a different view of Collins than its predecessors and is comfortable going forward with him as a Hawk beyond the deadline. Yet one league source stressed to me that trade scenarios will continue to be explored until the deadline. Indiana, New Orleans and Utah are among the teams that have expressed interest in Collins.

It's certainly possible that Fields and Korver are sending out the message that Collins will stay put as a negotiating ploy, forcing teams to pony up a bit more to convince the Hawks to move him. 

But the 25-year-old power forward's contract is an obstacle. He still has 3½ seasons left on his massive 5-year $125M deal. And his numbers this year are down. Collins is averaging 13.5 points per game, significantly less than where he was just three years back, at 21.6 PPG, and still down two and a half points from his career average, and mark of last year, 16.2 PPG.

But his usage is way down, contributing to the discrepancy. 

John Collins is on pace to average the fewest 2PA/75 throughout his entire career... Nate McMillan is an absolute joke. John is shooting 62.9% from 2 this season. That is the 5th-best single-season mark in franchise history. His 61.2% career 2P% is the BEST in franchise history.

— Kevin Keneely (@KevinKeneely1) January 31, 2023

The big man is on pace for his lowest two-point attempt output in his career. Yet he's shooting 62.9% from the field, the 5th-best mark in team history, per Kevin Keneely. 

A new locale could certainly rejuvenate Collins' offense. The Pacers, Pelicans and Jazz are looking for some more size up front, and have maintained interest. We'll see if one of them are able to convince the new Hawks' regime to finally send Collins out of the ATL. 

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