Atlanta Hawks
Max franchise player Trae Young and near-max player John Collins haven’t exactly reached their potential as a duo over the last couple of seasons. Collins’ all-around game has grown while his offensive touches have shrunk.
Young is awesome, and the supporting cast is good, but not good enough to feel that the clock is ticking, and all-in is the only answer. A trade that makes the team slightly worse next season but significantly better in three and four seasons might be a worthwhile venture.
Here is one possibility:
John Collins to Hornets for Gordon Hayward, 13th and 15th draft picks
Why? Charlotte has craved a center for years. John Collins would feast on lobs from LaMelo Ball like he does Young, but also get a chance to be a more featured option playing away from a 28-point-per-game scorer.
For the Hawks, it’s far from a guarantee either the 13th or 15th pick in any draft ever becomes the player Collins already is, but it’s a guarantee those players will make far, far less money over the next four years than Collins, opening up tons of free agent and trade flexibility, as well as the necessity for internal development from young players already on the roster.
If Hayward ever stays healthy down a season’s stretch, that’s gravy, but the two picks here could truly be the start of something great for a young team that lucked into skipping steps in the 2021 playoffs but was reminded all of this season just how far it has to go. 2023, or even 2024 shouldn’t matter much for a very young team.
Collins could also garner interest from the Bulls or Blazers, and I could see Bogdon Bogdonovic drawing interest from the Heat, Nets, and Blazers. Not that he and Collins aren’t valuable to Atlanta. Just that the picks or assets they might fetch could be more valuable when Young enters his prime his rookie extension nearing its end.