Atlanta Hawks: Pass or pursue John Collins move at NBA trade deadline?

It’s been a heck of a month for the Atlanta Hawks as the NBA trade deadline looms. At the beginning of March, the 14-20 Hawks were losers of two straight games and three of their last four, and head coach Lloyd Pierce was dismissed from his duties as a result.

Assistant coach Nate McMillan was promoted to interim head coach, and the Hawks have been on a mad tear ever since. They’re 7-0 under McMillan, which certainly can’t hurt his prospects of getting consideration for the team’s full-time head coaching job, and the Hawks now sit at 21-20 in sole possession of fifth place in the Eastern Conference.

Should the Atlanta Hawks pass or pursue a John Collins deal at the NBA trade deadline?

Of course, McMillan can’t get all the credit for this remarkable turnaround. The Hawks have battled injuries all season and have only just gotten healthy. In fact, prize free agent signing Bogdan Bogdanovic only got back into the lineup for their first game of March against the Miami Heat and has played all seven games this month after missing 25 games.

Bogdanovic hasn’t been particularly good so far in his return, but availability matters. Especially on a team with depth challenges like these Atlanta Hawks.

If the Hawks want to continue their surprising push into the upper tier of the Eastern Conference, they might have to make some moves at the NBA trade deadline. The wins have been great, but they haven’t been against premiere competition. The Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat are the only remotely competent teams the Hawks have faced during this stretch, with the other wins coming against the Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets, OKC Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

John Collins is the best trade chip this roster has, although the organization plans to keep him as things stand now. He’s a restricted free agent in the offseason, and the Hawks have indicated that they plan to match any offers (ESPN+ paywall) that come his way. Still, everybody has a price, and some team might make an offer that’s hard to refuse.

Collins was extension-eligible this past offseason and the two sides were unable to come to a deal, which might make other teams feel emboldened about their prospects in proposing a trade package.

Why the Atlanta Hawks should pass on any John Collins deal

This is the first season where Trae Young and John Collins have been able to truly flourish together on the court. Whether they get along off it is another story, and also irrelevant. Even though Collins’ production is down a bit this season, the two of them have never been better together.

So far this season, the Hawks have a +8.5 net rating when Young and Collins play together, and in the month of March, they have an impressive +18.0 net rating when they share the floor.

It’s rare to form a true home-grown duo like the Hawks have, and it would be a shame to break it apart before seeing if Young and Collins can set the world on fire together. The Atlanta Hawks owe it to themselves to keep this duo intact and should pass on any offer for John Collins at the NBA trade deadline.