NBA Trade Rumors: Atlanta Hawks seeking lottery pick, John Collins expected to be moved

The NBA draft, featuring some of the most talented young players in the world, will take place on June 23 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

This is a huge opportunity for teams to improve and become competitive. After all, many young players are capable of turning franchises around and leading them to a championship.

The Atlanta Hawks, who lost in the first round after reaching the Eastern Conference finals a year ago, are looking to make big moves before draft night. If reports are true, the Hawks are looking to add a lottery pick by trading one of their key players.

The Atlanta Hawks want to improve

According to Kevin O'Connor, the Hawks are looking to trade John Collins for a lottery pick in the draft. This may come as a surprise since Collins, a five-year veteran, is a great young player. However, his inability to stay healthy may be the reason for the trade.

The Eastern Conference team has two picks in the draft: one in the first (16th) and one in the second (44th).

Collins was linked to the Portland Trail Blazers in a trade that would get the Hawks the seventh pick. According to Bleacher Report’s Jake Fischer, both the Hawks and the Trail Blazers would be satisfied with the deal.

Collins has four more years left on a new deal with Atlanta signed in August 2021. The big man will be owed $23.5 million next season. While this isn't a lot of money with the current salary cap, he will have to stay healthy to be a solid contributor.

The Hawks finished 43-39 and were eliminated in the first round by the top-seeded Miami Heat. Trae Young has been their best player by a large margin, but they will have to find another great player to go deeper in the playoffs.

Collins' career with the Hawks

John Collins was drafted with the 19th pick in 2017 by Atlanta. After averaging 10.5 points per game while making the All-Rookie team, he took a big leap in his sophomore year (19.5 ppg).

But the big man appeared in only 54 games last season, averaging 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

He is extremely skilled and one of the best big men in the league. However, not being able to play has drastically hurt his value.

Even though he is on a solid contract, the Hawks may not consider it their greatest asset since it is very unlikely that he will play more than 70 games in a season. After all, he has done it only once in his five-year career.

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