NBA Rumors: Atlanta Hawks Dropping Asking Price For John Collins

Can anyone think of a time when Atlanta Hawks' big man John Collins was not on the trade block? Exactly. And yet, here we are, less than a month from the 2023 trade deadline and Collins is still a Hawk. 

So what's the hold up? For the longest time, the Hawks' asking price was sky high for the 25-year-old power forward. But that appears to be changing.

According to Sam Amick of The Athletic, the cost to acquire Collins is dropping:

After all these years of John Collins trade rumors, executives who have spoken to the Hawks about acquiring the veteran forward recently have indicated that the asking price has — understandably — declined significantly this time around...  

The combination of his large contract and his declined production is hardly helpful in terms of his modern-day value. In some scenarios, the Hawks are merely asking for a quality player in return (and not a first-round pick), according to league sources.

This report flies in the face of the word we got earlier this week, where his price tag was too high for the Brooklyn Nets to consider. 

Collins still has 3 ½ years and approx. $87M left on his massive $125M contract signed in 2021. That's just one of the factors. The other would be his 13.3 points per game, and dreadful 23.1% shooting from three. The latter is a career-low by a long shot (he has a 35.8% career mark from long range), while his PPG is the lowest since his rookie year. 

There are still plenty of suitors, it seems, so we could finally be seeing Collins on the move by Feb. 9th. 

Photo: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports