Have the Atlanta Hawks gone from sellers to buyers at the expense of a potential John Collins trade?
Having won eight consecutive games since Nate McMillan became interim head coach, the Hawks are becoming "increasingly reluctant" to part ways with Collins, their star power forward, ahead of the NBA trade deadline, Yahoo! Sports' Chris Haynes reported Monday, citing NBA sources. The winning streak has improved the Hawks into fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings, and Collins' fine play, combined with a lukewarm market, reportedly has prompted Atlanta brass to to reconsider Collins' future.
" ... the Hawks haven’t been overly thrilled with the offerings," Haynes wrote. "For instance, the Dallas Mavericks proposed a package featuring sharpshooter Maxi Kleber, sources said.
"Collins, 23, has been a central figure to the miraculous turnaround the Hawks are experiencing and tinkering with the chemistry at this juncture is risky. Team ownership wants wins, and that’s what’s taking place."
The Boston Celtics are among the teams with which rumors have linked Collins. A Celtics-Hawks trade likely would have been difficult if Atlanta hadn't started winning. The Hawks surge just might have made a Collins trade to the Celtics an impossibility.
