Reports: Phoenix Suns have shown interest in John Collins

John Collins is reportedly now available for trade discussions as the Atlanta Hawks have opened the market for their young power forward.

As a result, the Phoenix Suns almost immediately surfaced with interest in the 25-year-old, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The NBA trade market is starting to heat up, and there have been reports of multiple players being available across the league.

Collins has arguably had the quickest bite on his name in regards to generating interest.

Although Collins is below his career averages across 15 games this season, the Suns still jumped on him right away.

The Suns have Jae Crowder, Cameron Johnson, Ish Wainright and Torrey Craig as power forwards. With Deandre Ayton at center, their primary big spot is confidently filled.

The Hawks have Collins, De’Andre Hunter and Jalen Johnson at power forward, so there is probably going to have to be a swap for another power forward unless Atlanta has its eye on something bigger.

With Hunter and Johnson at the four and Clint Capela at center, the Hawks are relatively sound for bigs.

With Crowder, Ayton and Johnson running the floor as bigs, the Suns seem rather full as well. Except, Phoenix is interested in trading Crowder, who hasn't played this season, and two teams interested in him are the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks.

Crowder asked for a trade in September after the team was unwilling to offer him a contract extension, according to Arizona sports talk show host John Gamoadoro.

With both parties interested in players in the same position, a trade seems probable.

Yet, Shams Charania wrote that it could take “potentially months” for a resolution before the Feb. 9 trade deadline.

Collins is arguably going to fill a supportive role for Phoenix, which would suit both parties well.

Does John Collins get traded for Jae Crowder?

Crowder has supported the Suns very well in his two seasons with the team.

With slightly above career averages in points (9.7) and rebounds (5.0) in Phoenix, Crowder has managed to fill the role he was brought into play. He has arguably not surpassed expectations and shown greatness, but he has been where the team needs him.

The year that Crowder was brought into Phoenix (2020-21), they made the NBA Finals. The following year, they went a franchise-best 64-18 and finished first in the Western Conference.

Needless to say, Crowder’s time on the Suns has been successful. But that time has come to an end after he failed to land a contract extension in Phoenix.

The problem is his age (32 years old). For the Suns to remain contenders in today's league, they are going to need fresher legs in their big role.

John Collins, on the other hand, is seven years younger than Crowder with higher averages. Even with his poor shooting from deep this season (22.7%), his field-goal percentage of 49.3 and scoring average of 12.6 ppg show his contributions.

Collins also averages 7.7 rebounds per game, which is more than Crowder.

Collins might seem like the more favorable choice, given his age and utility, but his contract remains a problem. He has two guaranteed years left worth $51.92 million, and Phoenix might not want to pick that up. If salary is an issue, Collins might not make it to Phoenix.