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For the second year in a row, 23-year-old Hawks forward John Collins is reportedly available despite his big numbers … and Atlanta is battling for a playoff berth.
So, Sam Amick of The Athletic wrote on Friday, “Nonetheless, sources say the Hawks have shown a willingness to listen to offers for Collins (that shouldn’t surprise anyone).”
One of the main reasons is, as Amick wrote, Collins is due to request an extension this summer and word is that he has already turned down a $ 90 million offer from Hawks owners. So if they are not willing to pay him and would rather get something for him than lose it for nothing, why not listen to the offers?
And Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson tweeted that two suitors were among those who called out the Hawks. He didn’t name the teams, BUT it should be noted, as we did a year ago last week, that the Nets were interested in Collins.
At the time, Chris Kirschner, also of The Athletic, wrote that Nets had expressed interest in John Collins … and that “Spencer Dinwiddie has been ‘mentioned’ in discussions that Kirschner says may not have been. not be so “advanced”.
There are, as Kirschner wrote back then and Amick writes now, big issues for the Hawks, starting with how Collins represents much of the Hawks’ present, if not their future.
As Peachtree Hoops, our sister site, noted on Friday in an article titled, “John Collins’ Situation Not One The Hawks Can Afford To Botch,” how stellar Collins has been.
Collins is making over 40% of his lines in his last 65 games (last season + this season) and is averaging 20.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 1.4 blocks over that span. His actual shooting percentage in this period is 65.5%, and he has made tremendous progress as a defender. No one knows this better than the Hawks, as there seems to be a narrative in national circles that Collins is always a negative on the defensive side. This is simply not the case, and it has not been for some time.
This season, playing alongside Clint Capela, Collins has been a positive contributor on both sides. Capela and Collins are second in the Eastern Conference defensive standings among a roster of two players who played at least 350 minutes together, something Kevin Chouinard wrote about in January. To further illustrate this point, Collins and De’Andre Hunter rank fourth among the best two-man players in this area, while Collins and Trae Young rank fifth (yes, you read that right).
So why not spend it? Well Atlanta is not a team with a mega-rich owner and they have other even younger greats that they love. And they’ll have to pay Trae Yong a ton of money.
Which brings us to the Brooklyn Nets. Suppose last year’s story is correct and this year they are still interested. It would be a very Sean Marks decision. Marks is not sentimental, as he has proven by favoring Kyrie Irving over D’Angelo Russell, swapping four players including fan favorites Caris LeVert and Jarrett Allen, to acquire James Harden … and dumping (or whatever you want to call him) Kenny Atkinson. Marks sees a problem and tries to solve it.
How would such a trade work? Well, like the rumor of last year, one piece should almost be Spencer Dinwiddie, everyone’s favorite commercial piece. He has a player option this summer and is currently making $ 12.3 million. A few weeks ago, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that “there are teams that have an interest in trading for him. to have his bird rights, to be able to sign him potentially in the long term.
Collins makes almost exactly a third of what Dinwiddie makes, at $ 4.1 million. Could the Hawks want the Nets to take on another contract while demanding a young player. The Nets have NO first rounds they can trade. They all went south to Houston. What they have are a couple of young greats, Reggie Perry, 20, and Nic Claxton, 21, both of whom have connections with Georgia. Perry grew up there, the Claxton players grew up there. Both are on very cheap deals.
Then there is the big question? Would the Nets be willing to pay what Collins wants if they get it? Brooklyn would have his bird rights so they could sign him outside of the salary cap, but Joe Tsai would have to agree to pay huge and ultimately historic luxury taxes.
The Nets are currently exploring the possibility of maximum extensions for the Big Three: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden. Yossi Gozlan, in a Hoopshype Podcast with Mike Scotto, explained what the maximum extensions would look like … including what maximum numbers would be in 2025-2026, when they would be between 33 and 37 years old.
Harden: four years, $ 161.1 million
2026: $ 57.7 million
During: four years, $ 197.7 million
2026: $ 54.7 million
Irving: four years, $ 181.6 million
2026: $ 50.5 million
That’s three $ 50 million players on the same team in 2026, when Collins could also be under contract. You’ve been talking about luxury nine-figure tax payments every year for a long time. Tsai has shown he is willing to pay, not just with the Nets, but with the Liberty, but that’s a lot to ask of any owner, even an owner whose net worth has jumped $ 4 billion. since its initial purchase in the Nets.
Would Collins go? A 6’9 ”forward who can shoot and bounce? Of course, and in the long run, Collins could be a part of what Marks hopes will be a sustainable future for Nets. We don’t know if the Hawks would ultimately agree to swap a key item, if the Nets are interested, if they would trade assets, if Tsai would be willing to foot the bill, and of course if another team would come in and grab Collins. But we’d be surprised if we didn’t hear from Collins and Brooklyn again. Watch this place.
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