Fourth-year power forward John Collins is staying with the Hawks, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski told Zach Lowe of his network in a conversation Wednesday afternoon about the NBA trade deadline, which arrives at 3 p.m. Thursday.
Wojnarowski also added he thinks discussions about the Hawks trading for the Pelicans’ Lonzo Ball have “gone by the wayside.”
Ultimately, it may end up being a quiet deadline for the Hawks, who have won eight of their past nine games, found a good rhythm under interim coach Nate McMillan and are hoping to make the playoffs. Wojnarowski said the Hawks “for all intents and purposes, are going to stand pat.”
Of course, things can always change before the deadline, as a new offer could be presented, and the situation could shift quickly. But, it seems likely that if the Hawks are going to make a trade, it would not involve one of their main players, which would obviously include Collins.
Regarding Collins, Wojnarowski said: “They are going to keep John Collins. They have played really well under Nate McMillan since he’s taken over as head coach. He’s certainly, the team’s gotten healthier, but I think if they do anything in Atlanta, again, it’s something more around the edges than with their core players. There were discussions with John Collins with a number of teams, but expect him to finish the year with the Hawks.”
