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John Collins of Atlanta was at the Garden Monday night and on the shopping block.
Collins, selected No. 19 overall in 2017, is a new-age, gentle 6-foot-9 forward / center of shooting power.
The Knicks are apparently well equipped at the forefront with potential All-Star Julius Randle and their 2020 lottery pick Obi Toppin.
The Knicks have yet to inquire about Collins. They’re probably seeing more of what they’ve got at Toppin and got a first-hand glimpse of the Atlanta stud in Monday’s game, where Collins scored 19 points to go with four rebounds in a 123-112 Knicks win. at the Garden.
The Hawks are seeing if there is a strong market for the former Wake Forest star, but NBA executives believe they won’t trade Collins unless they get a huge offer. Collins’ value in Atlanta appeared to decline when they traded for center Clint Capela last season. The team are said to have listened to Collins’ offers because he turned down a $ 90 million extension offer and may become a restricted free agent this summer.
Despite being a low-grade defenseman, Collins is still a tall, athletic man who entered Monday averaging 18.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 39.1% 3. Collins is only 23 and was selected well after Frank Ntilikina (No. 8) and former Knicks guard Dennis Smith Jr. (No. 9) in the draft.
The Knicks are on a wait-and-see mode as they grapple with Mitchell Robinson’s broken hand that could keep the big man out for at least six weeks.
The Hawks are said to be looking for at least one high lottery pick for Collins. The Knicks potentially have two lottery picks in the 2021 draft – theirs and Dallas. However, the Knicks are currently in the playoff position at No. 7 and Dallas is up.
Maybe an offer from one of their two first-round picks plus Ntilikina could be enticing, but the Knicks should be comfortable giving Collins a long-term deal.
Collins and Ntilikina have roughly the same salaries, but the French point guard is out of the Knicks’ rotation.
The Hawks were seen as a major threat to the playoffs after a strong offseason in which they signed former Knicks lottery pick Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and point guard Rajon Rondo. But they took the garden court at 11-15, having lost six of their previous seven games.
Cavaliers center André Drummond is also on the commercial block and is excluded from games until he is moved. According to a source, Drummond, a native of Mount Vernon and imminent free agent, would see the Knicks as a good landing point.
Robinson has another consultation on Tuesday before deciding if he will have surgery.
Ntilikina has been away from the team for a week for COVID-19 contact tracing and is still testing negative. He will join the Knicks “soon,” said coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau said rookie Immanuel Quickley’s next step is “to learn the league because they learn about him.”
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