The Atlanta Hawks traded one of their core players for the past several seasons in John Collins. The return was Rudy Gay and a second-round pick.
Collins averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and one block per game last season for the Hawks. He has been in trade talks for several years for the Hawks, now the trade has officially happened. Will there be more for the Hawks?
This seems to be a salary cap move for the Hawks, clearing up tons of cap space. Collins was signed to a five-year, $125 million contract with the Hawks. However, could there also be a trade in the works in the upcoming weeks that would require this financial flexibility? There have been trade rumors centered around Pascal Siakam from the Toronto Raptors, and other star caliber players that would require cap flexibility.
If this is the case, this could be a genius move by the Hawks, completing two objectives within one trade. If not, from a financial standpoint, it makes sense, but from a roster perspective they simply need more to say they have improved from last season.
The Hawks have options, and options during the offseason in the NBA is exactly what you want. The Hawks are in position to make an aggressive push towards some of the biggest names in the NBA, and that is exactly what they need if they look to make a push to the top of the eastern conference.