Boston Celtics: 4 players to consider trading for after James Harden deal
By Mark Nilon
Boston Celtics target No. 3) John Collins
If the fact that the Atlanta Hawks and John Collins failed to come to an agreement on a contract extension earlier this season weren’t enough of an indicator that there could be some “trouble in paradise”, recent reports of rifts between the power forward and franchise cornerstone Trae Young certainly should.
NEW – Hawks big man John Collins has raised several issues about the team's offense with Trae Young at the helm, multiple sources tell @sam_amick & @ChrisKirschner.
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) January 8, 2021
"Trae is my brother regardless," Collins said in response.
Since this came out, obviously the media has had a field day in thinking up trades that would land the third-year big on another team and, as you already know, we’ve jumped into the mix ourselves.
The thought of Collins running with this current Boston Celtics core is quite an exciting prospect to think about for fans.
Like Turner, he has the perfect combination of size and skill to play either the four or five however, unlike the Indiana big, Collins has the ability to take over games offensively.
2019-20 was a true breakout season for the 23-year-old, as he posted stellar averages of 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game on 58 percent shooting from the floor and 40 percent shooting from deep.
With him in tow, the Cs could finally run their seemingly preferred big-ball lineup with him at power forward, while also allowing them to have the ability to run last season’s preferred 5-out scheme.