One NBA writer believes the Los Angeles Lakers should put Atlanta Hawks power forward John Collins “atop its most fanciful trade-acquisition list.”
In a May 20 article title “1 Ambitious Trade Target for Every NBA Team,” Grant Hughes of Bleacher Report proposed that the Lakers trade shooting guard Malik Beasley and center Mo Bamba for Collins.
“Beasley and Mo Bamba’s $10.3 million non-guaranteed 2024-25 salary are a solid match with John Collins’ $25.3 million salary” Hughes wrote. “Perhaps a draft night deal of Beasley, Bamba and the Lakers’ 2023 first-rounder would be enough to finally get Atlanta to cut bait on Collins.
“Considering the Hawks moved Kevin Huerter to duck the tax last offseason, they might be more amenable than most to saving $20 million or so (subtracting the contract for their newly acquired Lakers first-rounder) next season,” Hughes explained.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: John Collins, Atlanta Hawks & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
Collins averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds for the Hawks this season while shooting 50.8% from the field and 80.3% from the free-throw line. The Wake Forest product has been on the trade block for several years and Hughes believes it’s finally time for the Hawks to move him.
Atlanta lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the playoffs in six games.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: John Collins, Atlanta Hawks & Los Angeles Lakers Updates
“Collins is a distressed asset, which makes it hard to call him an ambitious target,” Hughes wrote. “His three-point shot abandoned him this year, and he has yet to prove he can survive as a small-ball center. But if Los Angeles wants someone who can sop up frontcourt minutes so Davis and James can rest next season, he’s a better candidate than anyone currently under contract.
“Plus, the 25-year-old isn’t far removed from a two-year stretch from 2019-20 to 2020-21 in which he averaged a combined 19.2 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 40.0 percent from long range,” Hughes explained.
Collins, 25, signed a five-year, $125 million contract with the Hawks in August 2021. He will make $25.3 million next season.
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