NBA Trade Rumors: According to a recent report, the Brooklyn Nets have expressed interest in acquiring John Collins.
The Brooklyn Nets didn’t have the start of the season that many had hoped or believed they would have. However, there’s a sense that this team is beginning to turn the corner on its struggles. Is the team’s recent turnaround something tangible that they can rally around heading into the second quarter of the season?
That’s not easy to answer but there is some optimism. The Nets have won six of their last eight games and are over .500 for the first time this season. Ben Simmons, before his most recent injury, was beginning to show flashes of his previous form and Kevin Durant is continuing to prove that he’s one of the best players in the league.
Still, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Nets continued to scour the trade market ahead of the February 9 NBA Trade Deadline. In fact, it would be surprising if they didn’t. Brooklyn should be all-in on this season and if there’s a trade to be made that they believe will help the team take another step forward, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t try to make it happen.
Somewhat surprisingly, according to a recent report, the Nets have expressed interest in Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins. He’s a player that could end up being moved at the deadline.
How could the Brooklyn Nets acquire John Collins?
The interest is nothing surprising. Collins is a good player and the Nets should be open to any good player that is reportedly on the trade block. How this would come to fruition logistically could be complicated.
The only way this really works is if the Nets believe Kyrie is not going to be re-signed. Then it would make sense to try and fill that salary via trade since the Nets won’t be able to do that via free agency.
One trade that works financially is a Joe Harris and Royce O’Neale for Collins swap. But I’m not sure how willing Brooklyn would be to trade O’Neale. But it’s at least a possibility.
Collins would give the Nets another asset that they could use down the line – similarly to what the team did in their acquisition of Ben Simmons at last year’s NBA Trade Deadline once it became clear that James Harden was going to leave anyways in free agency.
I still don’t believe that a Collins to Brooklyn trade is likely. Though, it is something to keep an eye on. At the very least, it’s an interesting idea.