The Hawks made only one move at Thursday’s NBA trade deadline, according to a person familiar with the situation, sending Rajon Rondo to the Clippers for Lou Williams, two second-round picks and cash.
That means, amid plenty of speculation and trade rumors, they’re holding on to power forward John Collins, who Tuesday vehemently expressed his desire to stay put in Atlanta. Collins is the longest-tenured Hawk and is the team’s second-leading scorer (18.1 points per game) and rebounder (7.8).
Collins is in his fourth season, and he and the Hawks couldn’t come to an agreement on an extension heading into this season. He will remain with the Hawks throughout this season and will become a restricted free agent after the season, which means the Hawks will have the ability to match other teams’ offers to Collins.
Collins remaining on the roster certainly maintains continuity for a team that is trying to make the playoffs this season and has looked better under interim coach Nate McMillan, winning eight of their last 10 games.
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