AUGUST 6: Collins has officially re-signed with the Hawks, the team confirmed today in a press release.
“We have a great appreciation for John and all he provides for our team; he is an incredible team player who brings the type of positive energy and passion that is contagious and impacts winning,” president of basketball operations Travis Schlenk said in a statement. “John is beloved by his teammates, our coaches and our fans and we are happy that he will continue to grow along with our young core.”
Atlanta has now officially locked up its two franchise cornerstones to long-term deals, having also announced Young’s extension on Friday.
AUGUST 4: The Hawks have reached an agreement on a five-year, $125MM deal with restricted free agent John Collins, agents Sean Kennedy and Jeff Schwartz tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The agreement features a fifth-year player option, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Collins, the No. 2 player on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents, has now secured the largest free agent contract of the offseason so far in terms of overall value. Chris Paul (four years, $120MM) and Jarrett Allen (five years, $100MM) are the only other players to crack the nine-figure mark to date, and Paul’s deal reportedly only includes about $75MM in fully guaranteed money.
As I noted on Tuesday when word broke that the Hawks had offered Collins $125MM over five years, the deal represents an increase in terms of both years and dollars on the extension the team reportedly offered the 23-year-old during the 2020 offseason (four years, $90MM+).
It’s still quite a bit shy of the maximum salary Atlanta could have offered ($163MM over five years), but Collins’ options were limited, given the lack of teams with cap room available. The inclusion of a fifth-year player option may also have helped convince him to accept the deal. That will give him the ability to opt out in 2025 at age 27.
Collins, the 19th overall pick in the 2017 draft, averaged 17.6 PPG, 7.4 RPG and 1.0 BPG on .556/.399/.833 shooting in 63 games (29.3 MPG) for Atlanta in 2020/21. While those numbers were a slight step below the ones he put up in ’19/20, Collins played the role the Hawks asked of him and was a major part of the team’s run to the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Hawks have now made two major commitments this week to lock up a pair of franchise cornerstones. In addition to reaching a deal with Collins, the club also agreed to terms on a five-year, maximum-salary extension for Trae Young, which will go into effect in 2022/23.
overpay. Who else could offer this? I would have just matched what anyone else put up. Unless someone else was paying him $25m He was limited. It is what it is I suppose
I believe he deserves this contract for four years if he prove himself after four years he can sign a bigger contract . As organization you have to pay a fair contract to your players or you will be blacklisted from other players
There is no “blacklist”. These athletes usually go where they can get the most money, unless you are a game changer like Durant, James, etc. Organizations cave to players and it rarely results in championships. He’s a good player but I think they will regret this move
Agree but 25m per is still better than the max which he reportedly was seeking. Given how they played in the playoffs maybe they didn’t want any bad blood to develop during a potential wait period.
I can accept this take.
I can accept the phrase “potential wait period”, and nominate it for a horror movie title. (It’s a trend. Don’t Breathe and Night House are coming soon.)
It is also possible that he would have accept the QO and been an unrestricted FA next year. That could have been a mistake if an injury or regression occurred, but he almost certainly would not re-sign with Atlanta if that happened. Paying him more than the market can, even if it is less than he wants, will at least make your franchise look good. If not to Collins, then to other future free agents.
Almost Nobody, if anybody, accepts the qualifying offer. I would have to Check the history but I think maybe 2-3 players. He wasn’t passing on a $100M
I think he is not overpaid, considering his shooting line and how many stats he produced under 30 minute per game
That’s the problem, he rarely plays 30 minutes per game because his defense is horrendous. And don’t buy this ‘he improved this year’. The team improved with a full year of Capela and it made all those around him look better.
Collins is a horrible defender who grabs and reaches and gets into foul trouble regularly. Hence the lack of minutes. You don’t pay this kind of money to a guys who can’t stay on the floor even when healthy.
Not to mention he is way too up and down. Just look at the playoffs where he underperformed in 60% of the games, but got big press just for going off a couple of times.
LET’S GET IT!!!! Way to bet on yourself and get that bag Johnny! The haters not gon like this at all lmaoooo #FutureDynasty
DYNASTY
Sure wish I had John Collins on my team. Dude showed how good he is in the playoffs. Things working out well in Atlanta.
Did Atlanta outbid themselves? Who else made a offer for Atlanta to match?
Now he can be traded.
This is about the deal I want the Knicks to give Randle. Randle is not a max player. If Randle wants the max then trade him
Heat are gonna regret this contract in 2 years. JC isn’t anything special
That is a waaayyy too cheap deal for ATL!!!
JC just handed over the biggest bargain of the summer to ATL!!!
Hope he is happy and just continue to improve and play good basketball; he will have plenty opportunity to sign even bigger contracts down the road.
He is a good player…slightly more than I would want to pay (But, hey, we pay Tobias more than I would want to pay lol), but a smart and necessary move for Atlanta.