The Atlanta Hawks are a team that is going to make some sort of move this NBA offseason. General manager Travis Schlenk has let it be known that the front office will not have a repeat of the last offseason when the Hawks brought pretty much everyone back after making a run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
This season was not nearly as successful, as the Hawks finished ninth and landed in the NBA Play-In Tournament. They defeated the Charlotte Hornets and Cleveland Cavaliers in those games before losing to the Miami Heat in the first round of the 2022 NBA Postseason.
The team’s needs are pretty clear; they need to improve on defense if they are to ever make some noise in the Eastern Conference. They can keep up with virtually anyone scoring the ball, but defensively, they cannot get stops when they need them most.
Atlanta has a few players that they could look to trade to upgrade their defense and fit around Trae Young. One player that Bleacher Report believes will be on the move is John Collins.
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John Collins was one of the players that were re-signed last offseason, agreeing to a five-year, $125 million deal as a restricted free agent. Only 24-years old right now, Collins is someone that the Atlanta Hawks likely don’t want to trade, but he has been mentioned in plenty of trade rumors over the last year or so.
The Wake Forest product might be strong enough of a centerpiece to get the Utah Jazz to engage in trade talks for Rudy Gobert. Even if they are not able to land Gobert, they are seeking to upgrade their defense and Collins may be their best chance at doing that.
A move out of Atlanta may be something that John Collins would be happy with as well. He has seen his opportunities on offense decrease in recent seasons and hasn’t always seen eye-to-eye with Young on the court.
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If he is the player that Schlenk decides to package and make a move involving, the Atlanta Hawks should be able to get back some solid pieces.
