After weeks of trying to tamp down narratives that they were on the verge of a salary dump to get out of the NBA’s luxury tax and that John Collins didn’t fit into their future, the Hawks dumped salary and John Collins. Go figure.
There will be various levels of wonderful spin about what happened Monday, but at least this franchise finally acknowledged reality with its actions, and Collins can move forward with trying to repair his career.
“Free at last,” texted Chris Broaden, Collins’ uncle and confidant.
Before getting into the economic ramifications of Atlanta’s first major move this offseason, and what we can assume moving forward, a word about Collins. He was coming off a career-worst season since becoming a full-time starter — 13.1 points per game, 29.2 percent shooting from 3-point range — and had become a punchline for many fans and some media, partly because of constant trade deadline drama and his production had not risen to the level of his five-year, $125 million contract.
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But there has been some revisionist history about him. It was only a few years ago when Collins was being praised for being a consistent 20-and-10 forward and a great pick-and-roll finisher with Trae Young, as well as one of the most well-liked and respected guys in the locker room. When feelings in the front office changed about where Collins fit into the team’s future, there were frequent attempts to trade him over the next few years, but his value dropped and the potential asset return was deemed unacceptable, either by management or ownership.
It was a colossal miscalculation. Because Collins, no doubt worn down by it all and given a diminished role in the offense this past season, had a miserable year and his value continued to tumble, like a three-sleeved shirt off the defective clothing table.
Collins welcomes the fresh start. The fact he didn’t show up for exit interviews the day after the season-ending playoff loss to the Celtics was illustration enough about how he was so over Atlanta and wanted to move on. It’s hard not to have some empathy for him.
This culmination of the past three seasons of rumors was an embarrassment. Think about it. The Hawks traded Collins — still talented, solid defensively and young at 25 — for a soon-to-be 37-year-old Rudy Gay (who they may not even keep) and a second-round draft pick. As for how highly the Hawks value second-round picks, they traded five of them — five! — for Saddiq Bey.
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It was a dump worthy of all caps: DUMP. They are a lesser team today. The pressure is on general manager Landry Fields and this new front office to improve a roster while gaining payroll flexibility. As he acknowledged to The Athletic after the draft, “It’s going to take some time.” Improvement will be contingent on the coaching of Quin Snyder.
From a financial perspective, it’s easy to understand why trading Collins was the right choice. His $25.34 million salary for 2023-24 — compared to the $6.479 million owed Gay — is off the books and lifts the team out of luxury tax hell. Collins was going to be owed at least $51.92 million over the next two seasons and $78.5 million if he exercised his 2025 player option.
It doesn’t make financial sense for a team to cross over the $165 million luxury tax threshold if its decision-makers don’t believe the club will contend for a title. Something you won’t see or hear in any Hawks’ 2023-24 marketing campaign: The Hawks do not expect to contend for a championship next season.
Today we introduced Kobe Bufkin, Mouhamed Gueye, and Seth Lundy 🎤
Watch their full press conference on Hawks YouTube ➡️ https://t.co/c9Hailizo8 pic.twitter.com/eihIuinOsL
— Atlanta Hawks (@ATLHawks) June 26, 2023
This is not a teardown. But it is a reset. Even with the tax pressure off, they will continue to look at trade options with at least two other veterans in the rotation: center Clint Capela and forward De’Andre Hunter. The Collins trade also will net them a $25 million trade exception for one year. Nobody should assume that will be utilized.
If you’re looking for more certainty about what the Hawks are thinking for next season, here’s a start:
• No surprise, but guard Dejounte Murray almost certainly is not going anywhere. Several teams have called about his availability but there have been indications for weeks that he’s well-liked by Fields and Snyder. It’s also highly improbable the Hawks could get enough assets in return that would be commensurate to what they gave up for last summer (including two unprotected first-round picks).
Each of the Hawks’ three draft picks — Kobe Bufkin, Mouhamed Gueye and Seth Lundy — said Monday that Murray contacted them immediately after the draft with congratulations and advice. That surprised no one, least of Fields. “I read that as a huge character trait of Dejounte Murray,” he said Monday.
Asked whether those traits impact on whether to keep Murray, Fields said, “I want Dejounte here. That’s a guy who has a ton of what we’re trying to build more with. I look at that and go, that’s what he’s always done, even from the day we traded for him. … I’ve told (teams) that he’s a guy we want to continue to build with.” The risk: Murray is not likely to sign an extension before testing the free-agent market.
• Collins’ exit probably will mean more minutes for Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin, pending other roster moves. This fits into the plan for shedding some salary while molding younger, less expensive players into a cohesive winning team.
Winning next season largely depends on how well Young, Murray and others acclimate to Snyder and his system in the coach’s first full season. If things go well, there could be short-term success. But to be clear, nobody should view Collins’ exit as addition by subtraction. It’s just subtraction.
(Photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
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