John Collins has been a big part of the Atlanta Hawks’ great campaign. And its value has clearly increased. Restricted free agent this summer, his name is likely to be at the center of many rumors.
The Hawks will have the upper hand since they will have the opportunity to match the offer sheet that the player chooses to sign. But will they do it at any cost? According to Shams Charania, his last season and his performances in the playoffs make him a player who can claim a max contract:
“Across the league, many believe Hawks forward / center John Collins increased his value and became a player of maximum contract caliber in Atlanta’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals,” he said. ‘insider from The Athletic.
In postseason, he was particularly strong with 13.9 pts, 8.7 rebounds and 35.7% at three points. This season, he was running at 17.6 pts and 7.4 rebounds. Above all, beyond its physical dimension, there is talk of a “great” capable of turning 40% at three-point for two seasons.
Before the start of the season, the Atlanta Hawks had offered him approximately $ 90 million over 4 years. An offer that John Collins was clearly not ready to accept. But, in addition to the numbers, his attitude, his ability to carry out important actions, to plant big baskets or to glean rebounds at key moments in the playoffs will force the Hawks to review his offer largely upwards if they want it. keep.
John Collins claims huge paycheck, will the Hawks want to line up?
Either way, several teams should be ready to offer him a lot of money. He can expect 125 million over 4 years from another team this summer. Among them: the Dallas Mavericks, the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
“Dallas, Miami, San Antonio and Minnesota are among the teams expected to be interested in Collins and who believe he is accessible as a free agent, according to sources,” continues Charania. “Hawks owner Tony Ressler said after the season that he hopes the team will strike a ‘fair deal’ with Collins. “
« Fair deal »… Does that mean that he does not want to offer her a max contract? Therein lies the whole question. John Collins said in May that he wanted to remain a Hawk, but also explained that he deserved a max contract:
“When it comes to the max contract, I really think I’m definitely the kind of player who deserved that money with the Hawks, but I know it’s a business. (…) But I want to stay with the Hawks. “
We will therefore see if ATL is ready to line up the tickets. Because there is a strong probability that he signs a very substantial offer sheet… We would clearly like to see him continue the adventure started this season alongside Trae Young and co.
But a John Collins could also take the Dallas Mavericks or the Miami Heat to a new level. As he could help Spurs to revive. Anyway, the future should be exciting for him …
John Collins, the Hawks have already warned his suitors!
