ATLANTA — The Atlanta Hawks finally moved John Collins this week, trading him to the Utah Jazz in a salary-dump move designed to facilitate increased spending on other players by Atlanta.
Locked On Hawks host Brad Rowland broke down the move, why saving money was the driving purpose behind it, and what it changes for the Hawks' future in a recent edition of the podcast.
“That is, no matter what anyone tells you, the biggest reason why the Hawks are making this transaction is to save money both in the present and in the future," Rowland said.
Collins signed a five-year, $125 million contract in the summer of 2021. The Hawks are dealing with a cap crunch as they stare down future contracts for young stars Dejounte Murray and Onyeka Okongwu in addition to Collins.
“No matter who I talked to, the consensus continues to be that the Hawks were always going to shed one of the bigger deals that they had on their books for one of the frontcourt guys," Rowland explained.
Now, Atlanta will look to move forward with a frontcourt made up of Okongwu and youngsters Jalen Johnson and De'Andre Hunter. They could still look to trade starting center Clint Capela, who they reportedly discussed in negotiations with Dallas last week during the NBA Draft.
“There are young players behind (Collins) … who they like," Rowland said. "He does not really fit exactly what they wanted in this (type of) player.”
NBA free agency begins Friday at 6 p.m. ET.