NBA Trade Rumors: John Collins being shopped by Atlanta Hawks amid locker room tension

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Detroit Pistons v Atlanta Hawks

After an exciting 4-1 start to the season, the Atlanta Hawks have receded with three losses in a row and are now dealing with the aftermath of John Collins' recent remarks about the team's offensive setup. Collins, who was one of the Hawks standout performers last season, has been linked in NBA Trade Rumors on Friday after reports emerged that he was scathing of Trae Young's leadership on offense.

NBA Trade Rumors: Atlanta Hawks already engaging in talks to trade future free agent John Collins

New York Knicks v Atlanta Hawks

John Collins was among an elite group of four players when he averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds last season. He considered himself as worthy of a maximum contract come free agency at the end of the season. It now appears that the center could be on his way out of Atlanta earlier than expected.

NBA Trade Rumors began circulating on Friday that the Atlanta Hawks are in contact with several teams around the league regarding Collins.

With the possibility that the 23-year-old could become available, reports have emerged envisaging how he could benefit certain teams who are already experiencing deficiencies at the forward or center position.

Hawks have engaged with at least two teams regarding John Collins.

— 👑📍Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson, M.A. (@ScoopB) January 8, 2021

The Athletic released a story on Friday morning detailing John Collins' unhappiness with the Hawks' offense while the team watched films of their games on Tuesday.

The report, along with the disengagement that Trae Young showed in the Hawks loss against the Hornets on Wednesday, inevitably triggered the NBA Trade Rumors.

Trae Young is and will be the face of the Atlanta Hawks franchise for years to come. Therefore, it is more likely that John Collins would be the player shown the door should a feasible trade transpire.

If Boston is committed to two things:

-Playing two bigs
-Being a very expensive team for several years

They should be pursuing John Collins. He fits better for the offense than Daniel Theis does currently. There would be challenges defensively, but they can be worked around. https://t.co/upACfSWLVX

— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) January 8, 2021

One such team mentioned among NBA Trade Rumors are the Boston Celtics who have struggled for support from their current center Daniel Theis.

The German big man is not a prolific scorer or rebounder and is outperformed by the considerably younger John Collins in both categories.

If the Celtics are serious about making a title challenge this year, Collins could be the player to unlock their potential alongside their other young talent.

Should Boston decide not to pursue John Collins, it can be expected that several other teams will crop up in NBA Trade Rumors in the coming days. The forward is a highly-effective scorer and has shot at over 75% from the free-throw line in his short league career.

Collins will become a restricted free agent at the end of the season and is expected to receive a much higher contract than the $90m offered by the Atlanta Hawks.

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