John Collins destination No. 1: Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks and Hawks have their fair share of history, highlighted by the blockbuster draft-night swap of Trae Young and Luka Doncic. Now, as the teams are seemingly going in opposite directions, it makes sense for the Mavs to take a run at Collins.
A frontcourt of Collins and Kristaps Porzingis would instantly become one of the most dynamic in the league. The Latvian is continuing to find his way in the Dallas averaging above 20 points a game again this year. He’s having a poor shooting year, only hitting 29 percent of his 3-point attempts, but that number’s bound to level out in the second half of this season.
The addition of Collins would give the Mavericks and Doncic an additional scorer alongside Jalen Brunson and the aforementioned Porzingis. Being able to kick the ball out to productive shooters is essential for the Dallas offense, with both Luka and Porzingis shooting under 30 percent from distance this season.
A potential lineup of Doncic, Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Collins, and Porzingis would be nearly impossible to stop on the offensive end, as all five players are capable scorers with the ball in their hands.
From the Hawks’ perspective, the Mavericks have interesting pieces to offer. Prototypical 3-and-D wing Dorian Finney-Smith is an unrestricted free agent after this season, who could easily re-sign in Atlanta. He could help develop a defensive culture, something that is greatly needed if the Hawks want to turn their season around.
Additionally, Dallas has a variety of first-round picks to offer, along with rotational players such as Maxi Kleber and Reggie Bullock. A combination of mid-range salaries and first-round draft selections would make this trade work. Although the Hawks wouldn’t be acquiring the big name in return for Collins, it would be granting them much more cap flexibility, along with draft capital for moves in the future.