As expected, the Hawks will hold on to power forward John Collins, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The deal that sent Rajon Rondo to the Clippers for Lou Williams and two picks is the only one that Atlanta plans to make before the deadline, according to Kirschner.
Collins has been a hot name on the trade market for the past few weeks, but things seemed to change in the last 48 hours as the Hawks couldn’t find an offer to their liking. Collins told reporters on Tuesday that he was hoping to stay in Atlanta past the deadline.
The decision sets up an intriguing summer for Collins, who is on track for restricted free agency. He turned down an extension prior to the season that would have paid him roughly $90MM over four seasons, but he indicated this week that he might accept less than a max-salary offer. The Hawks have reportedly informed rival teams that they plan to match any offer he gets as a free agent.
Collins, 23, has played an important role in the Hawks’ rise to playoff contention, averaging 18.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in 44 games.
Hopefully he’s in Atl for his entire prime. 1 of the best, most underrated forwards in the NBA
I doubt he turns down a max offer sheet but Atlanta should certainly try to keep him, gallinari and bogdanovic contracts become hurtful to them so quick, but getting out of the second year on rondo for the expiring Lou Williams contract should help
Atl FO screwed the pooch. You inform your rivals that you plan to match any offer sheet by not discussing the player in a trade. Nobody cares what they say at this point. They’ve more or less assured that he’ll get max offer sheet, or one will be threatened combined with a S&T request.