Wednesday morning it was reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnaroswki and The Athletic that restricted free agent John Collins has agreed with that Hawks to sign a new five-year $125M deal with that 5th year being a player option. The Hawks now have Collins paired with Trae Young for the immediate future. Young who completed his 5 year max deal earlier this week has to be super excited for the future of Atlanta Hawks basketball.
A fan favorite in the city of Atlanta the former 19th overall pick in the 2017 John Collins was an integral piece in the Hawks playoff run this past season averaging 13.9 points per game and pulling down 8.7 rebounds per contest. Collins has transformed his game in the short time he has been in the league by adding a solid 3 point shot to his game as well as an improving back to the basket package and mid range game. He is establishing quite the package of poster dunks in his young career and few top the dunk he had on Joel Embiid in the playoffs.
During the season John Collins averaged 17.9 ppg and 7.4 rpg on 55.6% shooting from the field. Hawks GM Travis Schlenk made mention in his end of the year press conference that in a contract year Collins sacrificed personal stats for the betterment of the team. After turning down the Hawks initial proposal of $90M earlier in the season, Collins bet on himself and is getting a contract that is closer to what he feels he is worth.
We will continue to monitor more of this story as it unfolds and give you our thoughts on The Hawksbeat Podcast. Make sure you are following us on twitter ( @Hawksbeat) and all our social media platforms. Subscribe and rate our podcast as well.
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