With just a few weeks left until the trade deadline, The Athletic’s NBA insider Shams Charania provided the latest trade rumors going around the association. The Hawks weren’t mentioned specifically by Charania, but a team was linked to one of their best players, John Collins.
Charania mentions the Minnesota Timberwolves as the latest organization to show interest in the Hawks’ power forward, which isn’t necessarily surprising. They’ve been linked to Collins dating back to last season and will continue in their pursuit leading up to this year’s March 25th trade deadline.
From the article, “Minnesota has shown interest in power forwards around the league, including Atlanta’s John Collins and Orlando’s Aaron Gordon, sources said. Both players have significant asking prices in the marketplace.”
Had the Hawks faltered in their first two games with Nate McMillan as their head coach, this would be a totally different conversation. I would even go as far as to say I’d be shocked if Atlanta didn’t move Collins before the deadline. However, following back-to-back wins entering the All-Star break, the team’s mood seems to be at an all-time high, with the mindset still playoffs or bust.
The Hawks currently sit just 1.5 games out of the 8th spot in the Eastern Conference and only 2 games away from the 5th seed. With a more manageable schedule in the second half of the season and several players expected back from injury, there’s plenty of reason to believe Atlanta can establish themselves in the middle of the playoff picture. That will make it difficult for any team to pry Collins away; however, these next three weeks leading up to the trade deadline will be critical.
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