The John Collins from Atlanta was at the Garden and on the trading block Monday night.
Selected 19th overall in 2017, Collins is a new-age, sweet-firing power forward / center six feet away.
The Knicks are seemingly well-stocked with power forward with potential All-Star Julius Randle and their 2020 lottery pick Obi Toppin.
The Knicks have not yet inquired about Collins. They are likely to see more of what they have in Toppin and have seen the Atlanta stud firsthand in Monday’s game, where Collins scored 19 more points with four rebounds in a 123-112 Knicks win at the Garden.
The Hawks are looking to see if there is a strong market for the former Wake Forest star, but NBA executives feel they won’t trade Collins unless they get a huge offer. Collins’ value to Atlanta appeared to be diminishing when they traded for center Clint Capela last season. The team is reportedly listening to offers for Collins for declining a $ 90 million renewal offer and may become a limited free agent this summer.
Though a below par defender, Collins is still an athletic big man who came in on Monday averaging 18.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 39.1 percent of third. Collins is only 23 and was placed well behind Frank Ntilikina (No. 8) and former Knicks security guard Dennis Smith Jr. (No. 9) in the design.
The Knicks are in wait-and-see mode as they deal with Mitchell Robinson’s broken hand that can keep the big man out for at least six weeks.
The Hawks are reportedly looking for at least a high lottery pick for Collins. The Knicks may have two lottery picks in the 2021 draft: their own pick and Dallas’s. However, the Knicks are currently in the playoff position at No. 7 and Dallas is rising.
Perhaps an offer of one of their two first round picks plus Ntilikina could be tempting, but the Knicks should feel comfortable giving Collins a long-term deal.
Collins and Ntilikina have almost the same pay, but the French point guard is out of Knicks’ rotation.
The Hawks were considered a major playoff threat after a strong off-season signing former Knicks lottery pick Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and point guard Rajon Rondo. But they took the Garden Court at 11-15 after losing six of their previous seven games.
Andre Drummond cavaliers center is also located on the trading block and will be kept out of play until it is moved. According to a source, Drummond, a Mount Vernon-born and impending free agent, would consider the Knicks a good landing spot.
Robinson has another consultation on Tuesday before deciding whether to undergo surgery.
Ntilikina has been away from the COVID-19 contact tracking team for a week and is still testing negative. He will be joining the Knicks “soon”, said coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau said rookie Immanuel Quickley’s next step is to “learn the league because they learn about him.”