Dallas Mavericks Receive: F John Collins (via sign-and-trade)

Atlanta Hawks Receive: F Kristaps Porzingis, DAL 2022 1st Round Pick (Swap, More Favorable to ATL), DAL 2024 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)

Ever since he was traded to the Dallas Mavericks from the New York Knicks in 2019, Kristaps Porzingis has been a solid contributor during the regular season for Dallas, but he has not showed up in back-to-back postseasons for them.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, Porzingis was hurt during the 2020 playoffs in the NBA bubble, but there is no excuses that can be made for his lackluster performances in the first-round against the Clippers this year. 

Standing 7’3”, Porzingis should be a dominant force on the interior, yet all he seems to do is play out on the perimeter and shoot threes like he is a 5’10” guard. His lack of aggression has decreased his value to the Mavericks and as a result, Kristaps Porzingis is a guy sitting on the trade block in Dallas. 

Not to mention, there have been reports that Porzingis is frustrated in his current role in Dallas as “Luka Doncic’s sidekick.” Well, pretty much anybody on the Mavericks is going to be Luka’s “sidekick” because of how good he is, but if Porzingis wants out, Dallas will likely be more than willing to try and move him and his $101.5M contract over the next three seasons. 

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If the Hawks were to lose John Collins, they would have a major hole to fill at the power-forward position, which is why they could be interested in bringing in Kristaps Porzingis. He fits their style of play of being a big man that can knock down threes from the perimeter and a frontcourt duo of him and Clint Capela actually sounds somewhat useful. 

Not to mention, Atlanta also gets a first-round pick swap and a protected first-round pick from Dallas in this deal. Losing John Collins would be a hard thing for the Hawks to cope with, but this trade could actually be something that helps them out if the worst scenario happens this offseason.