NBA Trade Deadline: 15 best NBA players who could be available

10. John Collins — Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are in a strange situation. They just traded Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks for a few pieces that won’t really help them this season. The Hawks are coming off a magical run to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Trae Young is still a budding star. Who to put around Young is still a question mark.

John Collins has been an interesting piece. He goes from a solid option for the future of the Hawks to a significant trade piece depending on the week. Right now, he’s considered a trade piece. The team is 4.5 games out of a playoff spot at the time of this writing, and the Knicks and Celtics are the teams fighting for that final spot. They are both going to push hard to make the postseason after added expectations going into the year.

The Hawks might be looking to retool by sending some pieces to contenders for tradeable assets in the offseason. Collins would absolutely get them some good trade pieces in return. He could also be a trade piece himself for a team looking to move out assets for assets. Someone who is averaging 17 points per game and just under 8 rebounds per game is going to come with good value.

Collins signed an extension with the Hawks just this past offseason, and he’s with the team for the next four years if they decide to keep him. However, it looks more and more likely he’s getting traded. Because of that contract’s term, only certain teams can make the deal work.