Atlanta Hawks Receive: F Kyle Kuzma, F Rui Hachimura

Washington Wizards Receive: F John Collins

Of course, the Washington Wizards aren’t the only team who have already made a significant move this summer. In fact, theirs was a drop in a bucket compared to the splash the Atlanta Hawks made.

Atlanta traded three first-round picks and a pick swap in exchange for Dejounte Murray. With that deal, their intentions are clear: they’ll be playing to win in 2022-23.

Arguably, that makes a Collins trade less likely than it was before. For what it’s worth, the Wizards are giving up the worst player in this trade.

At the same time, they may still regret Collins’ contract. The Hawks could justify this trade as a step backward in hopes of eventually parlaying it into two steps forward.

LATEST NBA NEWS AND TRADE RUMORS: Washington Wizards, Bradley Beal Are Inseparable

Meanwhile, the Wizards don’t need to justify this deal. Once again, they’re getting the best player involved in it. The frontcourt pairing of Kristaps Porzingis and Collins gives them five-out spacing. On defense, Porzingis’ high-end rim protection in drop coverage should work nicely with Collins’ ability to check the perimeter.

This deal should make the Washington Wizards better in 2022-23, and in light of Beal’s contract, that’s sure to be their goal.