John Collins Leaves Atlanta

Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins is arguably the best restricted free agent on the market this offseason. The two sides were unable to agree on an extension before the NBA last deadline, so now he will enter free agency.

Atlanta undoubtedly wants to keep him, but he will receive some interest from around the league. One of the teams that will aggressively pursue him is the Boston Celtics, who will land the explosive big man.

Boston has been looking for a versatile big-man that impacts the game on both ends of the court and Collins fits the bill. He is only scratching the surface of his potential, as he already has a 21+ point and 10+ rebound season under his belt. The Wake Forest product plays above the rim and offers some rim protection as well.

To land him, the Celtics will have to pull off a sign-and-trade. Marcus Smart is a good piece for Atlanta to target in return, as he would help balance their backcourt alongside Trae Young.

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Smart is an elite defender, something Atlanta needs more of as a long of their perimeter players are offensive-minded.