With the Hawks underachieving through the early part of the season, speculation is rampant about what the team will do next. It seems almost impossible that they will continue throughout the entire season with the same roster, and only two players seem to be off-limits — Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Everyone else could go as the team aims to reconstruct the roster in order to become more competitive, and the most prominent name discussed in trade talks — to no surprise — is John Collins.
Several teams have already had preliminary discussions regarding John Collins’ availability, and we can now add the Brooklyn Nets to the growing list of organizations interested.
The Brooklyn Nets have "touched base" with the Hawks on John Collins, per @IanBegley pic.twitter.com/wsuvBOBE17
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) December 1, 2022
At this point, I would be shocked if Collins isn’t dealt. He’s been the subject of trade rumors over the last three years, and while the Hawks value what he brings to the team, which is why they’ve hung onto him for so long, it’s becoming evident that he’s not quite meshing with the new look of the team.
At his best, Collins was a borderline All-Star and one of the most efficient players in the league, but the addition of Murray has impacted his role significantly. He’s averaging just 12.3 points per game on 48.4% shooting from the field, which are well below his career averages.
Although, not all the blame can be put on Murray’s new presence. After blossoming into one of the best shooting power forward since his rookie season, Collins is shooting an unsightly 21.9% from behind the arc. Eventually, that should regress back to the mean, which will improve his overall statistics. But still, the fit doesn’t seem to be there early on in the season, and the Hawks must make changes before the trade deadline if they want any chance of competing in the playoffs.
I don’t imagine anything will happen soon. The Hawks will likely see how the team meshes once Bogdan Bogdanovic returns from injuries. But unless there are some severe improvements, Atlanta will likely be one of the most active teams at the trade deadline.
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Photo: Photographer: Austin McAfee/Icon Sportswire
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