The Timberwolves are “dying” to acquire Hawks forward John Collins, ESPN commentator Jackie McMullan said on The Bill Simmons Podcast (hat tip to Kurt Helin of NBC Sports). “Minnesota is dying to have him. Minnesota wants him bad,” McMullan said. “What will they offer? I don’t know. They really want him. I think there are other teams too, but Minnesota particularly.” Minnesota’s interest in Collins, who will be a restricted free agent after the season, has previously been reported.
We have more on the Timberwolves:
- Owner Glen Taylor could get approximately $1.3 billion for the franchise if he sells the team now but the owner and the franchise have major image problems, as Jabari Young of CNBC details. Former franchise player Kevin Garnett is feuding again with Taylor and top executive Gersson Rosas stirred controversy by passing over popular in-house candidate David Vanterpool when he replaced head coach Ryan Saunders with Raptors assistant Chris Finch. Rosas has also tried to build around Karl-Anthony Towns but the roster is lacking 3-point shooters to make it work.
- The Wolves will start allowing fans at Target Center on April 5, according to a team press release. Season ticket members will get priority for the final 12 games of the season, though the release doesn’t indicate how many people will be allowed in the building.
- In case you missed it, Hoops Rumors had an exclusive interview with Jaylen Nowell. You can check it out here.
Wolves don’t need 3 point shooters but need defenders like Butler, Covington and Wiggins
3 pt %
Beasley 41%
Russell 40%
Towns can shoot too
Edwards may not be enough for Collins
Edwards 3pt
30%
Don’t embarrass yourself by putting Wigs in the same sentence as RoCo & Butler!
Wigs has regressed big time this year, still can’t defend for his life & now his scoring is down!
AND he’s getting paid like a superstar.
Trade Culver and a second round pick for Collins.
I’d also try trade Rubio for a SF
I think it will take a lot more than that. Maybe..
Okogie
Culver
1st
Collins
Hawks say no thanks.
Have to realise Collins is going to hit FA come the end of the season. I doubt the hawks give him the max but TWolves will.
Culver was a top 10 pick not so long ago and is on his rookie deal for another 3/4 years
While you were explaining. another team made a better offer. Again, the Hawks say no thanks.
Culver maybe a top 10 pick but hasn’t shown much promise so far in his career. Collins is worth much more than him and a second
I don’t know who else would offer more knowing they have to give him a max at the end of the season.
I’d say 10 or so teams probably couldn’t afford him, another 5 teams probably don’t need another PF/C, then another 5 teams probably don’t actually have anything better to offer.
So the TWolves obviously have some competition but I’m not sure who and what else is available
Great news, you’ll find out!
How much leverage do you think the Hawks have? They offered him, what, $90M+ and he turned it down? It’s no secret Atl doesn’t see him as a max salary player, and they can’t allow what happened with Horford (seeing him walk for nothing) to happen with Collins. Personally I think Atl is making a mistake not keeping him, but nobody is giving up the farm for him knowing they can just sign him to an offer sheet that the Hawks won’t match.
It isn’t about how much leverage I feel they have… It’s about what the Hawks reportedly want to move him. Simply put, that offer doesn’t do it…
Simply put the trade deadline is approaching if they don’t like any of the offer they are getting JC will hit FA and walk for nothing.
So you can take a below value offer which still has some pieces or you can take nothing for him.
Like I said, for what you suggested he won’t be on the Timberwolves roster. I’m not saying they won’t get the opportunity to sign him. Simply saying, that offer is weak and it will not be the best offer the Hawks get. For the record, If the Hawks don’t want to max Collins then they need to trade him to a team that will. I don’t think he his a max kind of player but a handful of teams seem to feel like he is…
Except he can’t walk for nothing. He is a restricted free agent. At a minimum the Hawks can get a sign and trade. Or they can just natch whatever deal is out there and keep him or trade him later.
It doesn’t matter like at all what ATL wants for him, teams make offers that they may or may not accept, but in no way ATL can set up what they want for him, it doesn’t really work like this.
No one really cares what the team wants, if JC wants out, which he should, seeing how bad ATL has treated him, he will go as simple as, ATL is heading towards a rebuilt if you ask me after messing it up with JC & signing 2 useless & very expensive guys in Bogdanovic & Gallinari, but above all by not paying JC the max he has earned.
Well, obviously I’m not trying to imply they will get what they want… What they want needs to be approached though, and this doesn’t do it. One team’s lottery failure isn’t even remotely in the same realm of a “high lottery asset” and the Hawks don’t use 2nd round picks. Thus, easy to say no from where I sit. The Hawks may very well be headed for a rebuild but not until the current GM is moved on from, so nonsense in terms of today’s conversation. Further, I can see your misguided bias, so given that let me say this: I agree that Collins should be moved to a team that will give him the max he wants. Our difference in opinion is, good player but not a max player.
Collins is a RFA next yr. I believe that means, Hawks can match any offer. They can also sign and trade him like Kings did Bogdanovic. So he’s not just walking away. And Hawks aren’t going to give him away in a trade. They don’t have to trade him now. But if a good one comes up. Then of course you gotta look at it. They say Minny is hot for him. They should be, but imo Okongwu is a better fit with KAT. Noel from Knicks would be a better fit with KAT and Minny team. Considering their D is where they need most help. Either way Collins can bring back excellent value this TD for Hawks.
Collins doesn’t wanna be there. He does not like to play with ball hog Trae…
That would be a very good move for MIN if they can get JC, I would make anyone not named KAT available for him & let ATL choose who they want!
I’m thinking if a deal happens it begins, but doesn’t end, with Edwards. He went to Georgia and the Hawks were believed to highly desire him before the draft. This one works money wise
T-Wolves get
John Collins
Bogdan Bogdanovic
Hawks get
Anthony Edwards
Jarrett Culver
Ed Davis
It would get the Hawks out of the bad Bogdan signing and give them a couple more young guys to either build with (Edwards) or package in a future deal (Culver). Davis is just salary, but he could fill some of Collins’s minutes this season.
Minnesota’s gets the guys they want and it positions them to trade away one or more of Beasley and/or Rubio for a much needed 2021 draft pick(s).
Not a bad offer, kinda like it actually.
Hawks would be impressive with Trae Young and Ant in the backcourt then have Reddish Hunter Gallo in the forward spots and Capela at centre. With decent bench options like Rondo Hueter Culver Okungwu. That’s a young team that’ll be good.
TWolves get Collins and Bogi can play the 3 spot and add some shooting. You’d still have Beasley and Okogie as your SGs aswell.
I’d say the difficult part would be TWolves parting with Ant for Collins (who signs a max) and Bogi who’s getting paid.
Maybe they counter with something like
Rubio Culver and Ant for
Rondo, Bogi and Collins.
The only real difference is flipping Rubio instead of Davis for Rondo to be included which in turn saves the Wolves some cap space.
Not a bad idea. When I was putting my offer together Rubio was my first thought for return except Atlanta already had 3 PGs. With Rondo coming back, it could work.
Although I do think your deal lends to more of a three team deal because I doubt Atlanta wants Rubio on a 2 year deal. The Hawks are Trae’s team and they don’t need a definite backup making $17MM a year. Not sure exactly who the 3rd team would be, but maybe the Knicks would want Rubio in exchange with maybe a future well protected 1st going to Atlanta.
Yeah it’s weird they are paying Rondo 8 mil to be the back up which makes sense with him being a vet and good defender. But at the same time he’s been out a lot and it’ll cost you 10mil more but you can swap Bogi and JC for Ant who is a stud.
Probably not ideal for the hawks but just depends what offers are available.
I also think Minnesota like Rubio but for 17mil as a back up it’s kinda stupid to keep him
Dying to get him? That means dying to pay him a max deal, to be the third max guy on their 8 win team.
I like JC, and under the right circumstances, I’d pay him baby max. But no GM with an ounce of sense would pay a huge price for the privilege of doing so. This is the kind of reasoning that saw the Wolves lose a lightly protected 1st in this year’s draft to pay another non-max guy the max. Yes, they got rid of Wiggins in the deal, but DR was (and is) no more of a max guy than Wiggins.
Raise your hand if you know how the salary cap works. Wolves have 131M on the books for next season. They aren’t offering John Collins a max deal.
So, they have to move Rubio, Culver, and Hernangomez to fit the baby max offer to John Collins.
OR
Trade for him and have his Bird Rights.
Wolves don’t need to pay luxury tax if using my trade idea
Hawks get Grant and Edwards
Pistons get Wolves 2024 unprotected First, Rubio, Culver
Wolves get Collins, Snell, Reddish and Huerter
Markkanen for Collins.
JC isn’t getting a max offer. If he does the Hawks should sign and trade. He’s a good player but he’s not a difference maker. I think Sabonis got 4/80ish and he’s better than Collins.
Timberwolves have been DYING since 1989 !!
So has everyone. Technically you start dying on the day you were born.
Minnesota wants him bad?— They’re already at $130 mil this year AND next. They want bad for the most dying team. I guess JackieM was using her intensifiers to opin on their situation.
LOL The Hawks are not getting Edwards (1st pick in draft, rookie and very young) for Collins who they would have to pay the max to retain.
If the Hawks are not getting Edwards, then the Wolves are not getting Collins, either now or in free agency. They have to acquire him now in order to secure his Bird rights. They wouldn’t be able to fit him under the cap otherwise.
T-Wolves are a mess. Softest team in the league. How do they have half as many wins as the Thunder who are intentionally tanking games and tried to be as bad as possible this year?