Hawks' Collins Draws Interest From Heat, Mavs, Others: Report

ATLANTA, GA — When John Collins turned down a $90 million contract extension late last year, the Atlanta Hawks forward/center did so believing there was a bigger payday in his future.

With the 23-year-old Collins set to become a restricted free agent this summer, a report on Tuesday suggested at least four other teams could be interested in his services. The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported the Miami Heat, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves could all be interested in Collins.

Collins averaged 17.6 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game in helping lead the Hawks to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they were ousted by the Milwaukee Bucks. Collins averaged nearly 14 points and 8.7 rebounds per game in the playoffs, setting him up for what he hopes is a max deal in the offseason.

After the Hawks reportedly offered him "in excess" of $90 million, Collins — the 19th overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft — told reporters he deserved to be in the conversation for a much bigger payday.

After the season ended, Hawks owner Tony Ressler told reporters he hoped the team and Collins could reach what he characterized as a “fair agreement,” but also said the Hawks also have other priorities to attend to in addition to trying to retain Collins. The Hawks will have the right to match any deal Collins is offered and add a year to any potential contract.

But with Collins seeking what could be as much as a $125 million deal moving forward, the hopes of Ressler having enough money to keep everyone in the fold seems unlikely, reports suggested. Without Collins under contract, the Hawks would be at nearly $100 million in contract obligations with the salary cap expected to be set at $112 million and the luxury tax threshold set at $136.6 million.

"He's a really good player and maybe more importantly, a really good person. So the idea of having both is important to this franchise,” Ressler told reporters in regard to Collins. “That's my view. The idea of being smart for both of us, to come to a reasonable place, that's the objective, and there should be no confusion."

He added: “John played as an amazing teammate trying to win games and doing whatever he could do to win games. John's a really good guy and a really good teammate. I hope he is an Atlanta Hawk."

The Hawks’ current collection of talent has the franchise moving in the right direction and Collins, along with others, has established chemistry with Trae Young. Although Ressler has made it clear he wants to keep moving ahead with everyone he has in place, he told reporters “it’s a pretty good bet, pretty good assumption” that will not happen.

Like Collins, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter are all approaching their second contract and could test the market to increase their value.

After the season-ending series loss to the Bucks, Collins suggested he would like to remain part of the Hawks’ talented core. But after turning down the contract extension that would have kept him in Atlanta for the foreseeable future, Collins also seems to be ready for what others may offer him to take him to a new NBA destination.

“Definitely something to think about, something I’ve voiced my opinion about a lot, I want to be here,” Collins told reporters. “Definitely something to think about. Obviously, we’re going to have to come to a decision very soon … Hopefully, one that keeps me here.”