John Collins wants to return to Atlanta Hawks

One of the biggest surprises of the 2020-21 NBA season was the Atlanta Hawks not just making the playoffs, but making a magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals. Nobody picked the Hawks to make the Eastern Conference Finals this year, yet this team never lost faith and they played with a chip on their shoulder all year long. 

While they fell short of reaching the NBA Finals, Atlanta is a team that is going to be around in the postseason for years to come given how many high-level, young talents they have. Trae Young is a superstar, Kevin Huerter has emerged as a key role player and John Collins is a high-motor, athletic big man, but the Hawks have a decision to make about his future. 

The Hawks and Collins were in talks prior to the start of the season trying to hammer out a long-term deal, but the two sides were reportedly on “different pages” in terms of how much the contract should be worth. Ultimately, The Athletic reported that “more than $90 million was left on the table,” and the two sides did not reach an agreement. 

All season long, there have been rumors about John Collins and his future in Atlanta being uncertain, but after losing in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Collins talked to the media about what could transpire this offseason and if he would like to return to the Hawks. 

READ MORE: Predictions for Latest NBA Rumors: Hardaway, Ball, Lowry, Rose, and More

“Definitely something to think about, something I’ve voiced my opinion about a lot, I want to be here. Definitely something to think about,” the Hawks forward stated. “Obviously we’re going to have to come to a decision very soon…Hopefully one that keeps me here.”

By the sounds of things, John Collins wants to remain with the Atlanta Hawks on a long-term deal, but are they willing to pay the price he wants? With the way things stand right now, Atlanta is about $18.5M under the salary cap for the 2021-22 season and they have more than enough room to sign Collins to a new contract without reaching the hard cap. 

READ MORE: NBA Rumors: This Cavaliers-Mavericks sign-and-trade features Jarrett Allen

Bringing him back should be no problem, but there will be other teams interested in the 23-year-old power forward. The Celtics, Kings, Mavericks, Pistons and Timberwolves are five teams that have shown interest in Collins in the past and could potentially look to sign him to an offer sheet this offseason with him being a restricted free agent. 

Given how well the Hawks played in the postseason this year and the strides they made as one of the younger teams in the league, it seems likely that John Collins will return at this rate on a four-year deal worth upwards of $100M, but you just never know!