Grading the Trade for the Atlanta Hawks
What about the Atlanta Hawks? Would trading for Kyle Kuzma be an upgrade for the struggling squad? The financial flexibility is certainly nice, as the Hawks can negotiate a new deal with Kuzma or let him walk in free agency and upgrade using the mid-level exception. Hachimura is unlikely to be retained, so even if Kuzma makes $20 million, it would be a step down from Collins’ mid-$20s salary.
The beauty of Trae Young is that he can make almost any player fit on the court, but that doesn’t mean every player is maximized with Young or helps elevate the team’s offensive ceiling. The upside to Kuzma is that he is used to playing with on-ball stars, be they LeBron James or Bradley Beal, and has built up his cutting and rebounding to bring value even when he isn’t handling the rock.
Yet Kuzma’s game blossoming this season has been because of his increased on-ball role, and that would presumably not be present in Atlanta. He is only a 34.1 percent 3-point shooter and isn’t a plus defender. Kuzma doesn’t present much of an upgrade over Collins; Atlanta would make this trade for financial savings and perhaps nothing more.
Grade: C
So do the Hawks and Wizards make this trade? Probably not; the Hawks need a player more like De’Andre Hunter than Kyle Kuzma, so trading Collins would be like shuffling the deck chairs. The Wizards might say yes, but if it took too many other players to balance the salary, that could nix it as well. This deal is a long shot, but it’s an interesting idea, and it’s no surprise the two teams considered it.