1. John Collins
One of the teams that were seemingly in the running right until the end for Ben Simmons was the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks are desperate for a defensive presence and Simmons would help solve a lot of their problems.
The package discussed with the 76ers reportedly included John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari. While the Brooklyn Nets can’t take all of that back because the package also included Tobias Harris with Simmons, the Nets should target Collins as the centerpiece of a deal.
Collins would bring a lot to the roster that Brooklyn is currently missing. He is a versatile big man that can play either power forward or center depending on what Steve Nash wants to do. His 3-point shooting would open things up for Irving and Durant to get to work as teams wouldn’t be able to double off of him.
To make salaries work, the Nets could also push to have someone such as Kevin Huerter included in the deal with Simmons. If not Huerter, they can ask for De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okongwu.
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The Hawks could be in the market to consolidate their roster this offseason and it is something the Nets should take advantage of if they were to consider flipping Simmons.
