Hawks May Be ‘Comfortable’ Keeping John Collins

Hawks general manager Landry Fields and assistant GM Kyle Korver are telling rival teams they have a different view of forward John Collins than the previous front office, and that the team is “comfortable” keeping him past the Feb. 9 trade deadline, per Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

This is news because Collins seemingly has been available since the start of the season. It is also could make the fourth time Collins has been widely mentioned as available … and yet remain with the Hawks, as Stein noted.

The Jazz are viewed as the team most heavily in pursuit, with the Pelicans, Pacers, Mavericks and Wizards all having been mentioned as suitors, too.

Fields, 34, replaced Travis Schlenk as GM in late December, with Korver, 40, being named assistant GM a few weeks later. They are the youngest front-office duo in the league.

Collins, 25, is 6-foot-9 and averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, shooting 51 percent from the field, in 43 games. He is playing about 32 minutes a night.

The Hawks (25-26) are currently sitting in eighth place and look to be headed for the play-in tournament. Unless, of course, they make some sort of move. If they do, yes, it would likely involve Collins. But maybe not, too.

After watching Luka rumble for 53 points in his return from what essentially amounts to a two-game injury absence … let's put a bow on this Monday with a fresh burst of Trade Deadline Latest: https://t.co/S29sHux2OW

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) January 31, 2023