Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Atlanta Hawks

As mentioned before, John Collins turned down a $90M contract extension in the offseason and that is quite concerning if you are a Hawks fan. It is going to cost Atlanta a lot of money to keep Collins on their roster and with Trae Young’s contract extension coming up, along with a lot of players on rookie deals, the Hawks have to be really selective with who they choose to re-sign because they will not be able to keep everybody. 

Obviously keeping Collins should be a priority because of all that he can do for this team next to Young on the court, but if he truly does not want to remain in Atlanta, they need to move him for value instead of letting him walk away in free agency. Ultimately, they could probably get a better deal for Collins instead of trading him to Phoenix, but the Hawks do receive some valuable assets in this trade.

Cameron Johnson could be a terrific fit on the wing for the Hawks given his perimeter style of play and because he fits their mold of a lengthy wing with “3-and-D” potential. Cam Reddish and De’Andre Hunter have fit in perfectly with the Hawks because of this philosophy, which is why Johnson could succeed in Atlanta. 

With the void left behind by John Collins, getting Jalen Smith is also really beneficial to the Hawks because they would have him and Onyeka Okongwu to build their frontcourt of the future. Both guys are lengthy, aggressive big men who could not only become two of the best rebounders in the game, but two great interior defenders as well. 

Lastly, the two draft picks the Hawks would be receiving give them more chances to continue building their team through the draft. Atlanta is a pretty young and inexperienced team in terms of playoff experience and with Trae Young emerging as a superstar, they need to be able to supply him with plenty of weapons, especially if they are not going to bring in another All-Star talent.

Trading away John Collins does not seem like the ideal thing to do right now, especially since the Hawks are going to be contending for playoff positioning late in the season, but if the right offer comes their way and they are concerned about him staying in Atlanta long-term, they may just pull the trigger and send Collins packing.