Report: Hawks open preliminary trade talks for John Collins

The Atlanta Hawks have opened preliminary trade talks around PF John Collins, The Athletic reported on Friday. Collins is in the second year of a five-year, $125 million contract and a deal is not imminent. Still, the Hawks are going to try and deal the power forward before the NBA Trade Deadline on Feb. 9.

Collins is a bit of a tweener PF/SF at 6’9” and the Hawks have some depth at forward. Collins is also more offensive-minded and the acquisition of G Dejounte Murray and presence of Trae Young has leeched from Collins’ production. Between Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter and Onyeka Okungwu, the Hawks have plenty of bodies in the front court. There’s also second-year F Jalen Johnson, who has potential just not as clear a path to playing time with Collins on the roster.

Shams Charania mentions the Phoenix Suns as a potential candidate to land Collins in a deal given their draft capital. The Suns are also interested in a few other forwards, so Collins’ may be a bit too pricey for them.

Collins is off to a slow start this season, averaging 12.6 points per game while shooting a career-low 22.7 percent from 3-point range. That hasn’t helped his value but an interested team shouldn’t be all that concerned about the dip for Collins. He’s an All-Star caliber forward who can stretch the floor, something GMs covet in the League.