NEWSLETTER
With the NBA Draft just two days away, the rumor mill around the NBA is heating up and features plenty of chatter around a few big men who might have new homes for the 2022-23 season.
John Collins on the Move?
In his latest column at The Athletic, Chris Kirschner said that John Collins remains the likeliest player to be dealt this offseason, and Kirschner noted that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Collins were traded by the time the NBA Draft wraps on Thursday night.
Marc Stein also reported that a Collins trade is likelier than ever as new Hawks GM Landry Fields looks to revamp Atlanta’s defense ahead of next season.
“I’ve likewise been apprised that Suns GM James Jones has rated [John] Collins highly in the past. The Hawks, remember, have been routinely mentioned as a leading potential sign-and-trade partner for Phoenix’s Deandre Ayton.”
Regardless of where Collins ends up going, there’s enough smoke around the idea that the Hawks will move him that we can expect to see something come to fruition in the coming days or on draft night in two days.
Collins averaged 16.2 points per contest on 52.6 percent shooting while adding 7.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists per contest. Collins’ best season came a couple of years ago when he averaged 21.6 points on 58.3 percent shooting while pulling down 10.1 rebounds per contest for the Hawks.
Other Big Men
John Collins isn’t the only big man potentially on the move shortly. The Indiana Pacers are reportedly listening “seriously” to offers for Myles Turner, and Clint Cappella and Kevon Looney reportedly also have markets for their services.
The Indiana Pacers have the No. 6 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, but Shams Charania says in his latest rumor column at The Athletic that Indiana has discussed a Turner trade with the Charlotte Hornets who own the 13th pick in the NBA Draft. Charania also notes that the Pacers have drawn interest in Malcolm Brogdon from Knicks and Wizards.
The Pacers traded Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, and Torrey Craig at the trade deadline last season and acquired a bevy of picks and players as they began retooling. Shams notes that the Pacers could opt to keep Turner and build around him if they don’t receive a package they deem worthy of the 26-year-old big man.
Collins’ teammate in Atlanta, Clint Capela, was named as a player on the radar of the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Timberwolves are fresh off of a playoff appearance where they lost to the Memphis Grizzlies in six games, and they’re operating with a new President of Basketball Operations in Tim Connelly, who departed Denver to head the T-Wolves’ new-look front office.
Kevon Looney is drawing interest from the Sacramento Kings and Charlotte Hornets. The Kings’ new head coach Marc Brown was formerly an assistant with the Golden State Warriors, so there are plenty of familiarities between Brown and Looney, making it seem like a good potential fit. With Kevon Looney due for a raise this summer in free agency (Kurt Helin at Yahoo Sports! predicts Looney will “fit into the $6.4 million taxpayer mid-level exception number, and while the price could jump to $7-$8”), the Warriors might night be able to re-sign the versatile role player.
Dennis Schröder Not Likely to Stay in Houston
Kelly Iko of The Athletic believes that guard Dennis Schröder won’t be staying in Houston after the Rockets acquired the 28-year-old at the trade deadline this past season.
The Rockets have the third overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft. With the Rockets looking to open up minutes for Daishen Nix, Kevin Porter Jr., Josh Christopher, and Jalen Green, Schröder seems likely to be moved.
The Bulls were named as a team with interest in Schröder leading up to the trade deadline last season, but that was when they were dealing with injuries to Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso in their backcourt. With Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso back in the fold for the start of the 2022-23 season, it would be hard to see the Bulls as a player for Schröder.
Either way, Schröder was playing on a one-year, $5.8 million deal that he signed with the Boston Celtics ahead of the 2021-22 season, so he’ll be a free agent this summer again, with a return to Houston unlikely to be in play.
