NBA Trade Rumors: Chicago Bulls have set their sight on Atlanta Hawks' young and talented frontcourt player
The Chicago Bulls are looking to bring in reinforcements to the front court in the summer. They are reportedly vying for the signature of John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks.
According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Bulls are interested in trading for Collins, but are not exactly willing to do anything to get him. An anonymous executive told Sean Deveney that the Hawks are monitoring everything surrounding their forward at this moment. Deveney wrote:
"The Bulls have had eyes on John Collins but I don’t think they’re willing to give up what it takes to get him."
John Collins has been mentioned in trade talks that would see him go to the Utah Jazz with a draft pick in exchange for Rudy Gobert. The Hawks are in desperate need of defensive reinforcement and are willing to trade Collins for it.
Collins finished the season averaging 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting 52.6% and 36.4% from beyond the arc. He recorded five games with 25 or more points during the regular season. However, he had a disappointing first-round series against the Miami Heat as he averaged 9.4 points per game.
The Chicago Bulls ‘have had eyes on’ John Collins, per @SeanDeveney https://t.co/c4Wt8nyjde
Should the Chicago Bulls trade for John Collins?
The Chicago Bulls crashed out of the postseason this year after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bulls were ravaged by injuries to Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine. LaVine was essentially playing with one fully fit knee.
The biggest question that needs to be asked is whether the Bulls have to give up Patrick Williams to get Collins. Patrick Williams has been touted as the second coming of Kawhi Leonard and is expected to be a star in the making. Williams missed a huge chunk of the regular season due to a wrist injury.
John Collins scored a season-high 31 points.
@JCollins20_ | @ReneeMontgomery https://t.co/LqVeLKnMkY
However, Williams' presence was immediately felt in the postseason against the Bucks in Games 4 and 5. He dropped 20 and 23 points, respectively, on 61.5% shooting overall. While it is a small sample size, this was the first proper glimpse of Patrick Williams in the postseason for the Chicago Bulls.
John Collins is a much better offensive player than Patrick Williams. The addition of Collins along with the duo of Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan makes the Bulls a scary prospect offensively.
Either way, the Chicago Bulls will have to bring in reinforcements in the summer. Otherwise, an early postseason exit is looking likely to be their ceiling.