WATCH: Hawks’ John Collins tips in game-winning buzzer-beater against Pacers amid trade rumors
John Collins shows off his greats while being listed on the trading block by the Hawks.
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On Friday night, John Collins tipped in a missed jumper with 0.1 seconds remaining to give the Atlanta Hawks a 113-111 victory over the Indiana Pacers. For the Hawks, Trae Young scored 26 points and De’Andre Hunter added 25. Young made six of ten three-point attempts and Hunter six of nine. The six 3-pointers made by Hunter were a career-high.
“When we are hitting shots, we tend to play defense,” Hawks coach Nate McMillan said. “It was good to see some of those shots go down. In our last game (against Milwaukee) it was like something was over the rim and nothing would fall for anybody. Tonight those shots started to fall. De’Andre got hot and started to knock down shots and so do Trae. I thought our defense was really good to hold them to 22 points (in the fourth quarter).”
One report from earlier this week claimed that the Atlanta Hawks were considering trading John Collins and were hoping to receive a return comparable to what the Utah Jazz received for Rudy Gobert last summer. That might not be the case after all, as John Collins is proving his real worth out there.
But the Hawks are still willing to trade shooting big John Collins. And, the reason can be his shooting percentages. As in 2019–20, Collins made 40.1% of his 3-point attempts; in 2020–21, 39.9%; and in 2021–22, 36.4%. He’s only at 22.9% this season, though. Utah, Brooklyn, and Dallas are some of the locations for Collins. Still, his recent greats can have the franchise rethink their decision as even he is an important part of the winning system.
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Hawks have to be quick with their decision as John Collins’s trade value is declining
The Atlanta Hawks have been experiencing internal conflict for some time. They are currently 21-22 (won against the Raptors) and will need to make significant changes if they hope to compete in the playoffs. One of their final options for averting the end of the season is to execute the appropriate trade for John Collins.
Sam Amick of The Athletic claims that throughout some of their conversations, the Hawks did not demand a first-round pick. In the past, it was said that Atlanta had a high asking price for their highly athletic forward, but it’s possible that they genuinely have a desired return that might result in a deal being completed.
According to league sources, the Hawks may occasionally only demand a good player in exchange (and not a first-round choice). Collins has been a target for trades for years as the Hawks attempt to assemble their team around Trae Young. In 2022–23, he is having one of his least productive years, scoring 13.1 points on average while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 23.0 percent from outside the arc. He’s been linked to a lot of rumors. There’s also a solid chance of him parting ways with the Hawks before the deadline. Even though he isn’t performing well these days the chance for improvements is still alive and many teams may risk getting him for it.
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Ritik Malik
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