Hawks Report: Mavericks expected to make a “significant offer” to John Collins this offseason

The worst kept secret in basketball is that John Collins is unhappy with his contract. Other teams are taking note.

For now, the Mavericks’ Porzingis discussions remain preliminary. But for Dallas to bridge this gap—between its current standing and the team’s preseason expectations of competing for home-court advantage in the playoffs—league executives expect these early conversations to continue. Finding a bona fide second option for Doncic is paramount to optimizing the young superstar, and Dallas can still clear max cap space this upcoming offseason. If John Collins were to reach restricted free agency, expect the Mavericks to make a significant offer, according to league sources.

Finding a bona fide second option for [Luka] Doncic is paramount to optimizing the young superstar, and Dallas can still clear max cap space this upcoming offseason. If John Collins were to reach restricted free agency, expect the Mavericks to make a significant offer, according to league sources.

This quote is from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, and Collins makes a lot of sense for Dallas. If they clear out some space, he would fill the void likely left by Kristaps Porzingis. And to add insult to injury, Collins would be leaving Trae Young for the guy he was traded for on draft night.

I don’t think Collins is deserving of a max deal, but he should get something pretty close. Atlanta still has his Bird Rights and will have the money to match anything a team offers him in restricted free agency. Collins is averaging 17.5 points on 53.5% shooting along with a 38.9% clip from three. Hopefully, Atlanta doesn’t let him walk — at least not for free.

There have been rumors that the Hawks are listening to trade offers for their star power forward. Neither of these ideas make much sense to me, as Travis Schlenk and Lloyd Pierce are under immense pressure from ownership to make the playoffs. When almost everyone in the NBA wants to acquire a guy and give him a massive deal, maybe it’s a sign you should just match in restricted free agency and keep building around him.