- Hawks forward John Collins was “super-duper relieved” to remain with the team through the trade deadline, according to Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Collins’ future has been up for speculation since he failed to reach an extension during the offseason, and he’s now on the way to becoming a restricted free agent.
Veteran guard Lou Williams contemplated retirement following the trade that sent him from the Clippers to the Hawks on Thursday. As the three-time Sixth Man of the Year winner explained in a post on Instagram, being dealt away by the Clippers – his team for the last four years – hit him hard.
“I thought about retiring yesterday. You give so much to an organization and you wake up and boom, it’s no more,” Williams wrote. “Then in true Clipper nation fashion I was reminded that my talent and contribution was appreciated and it made me reflect on what’s to come. There’s plenty left in my tank and I’m privileged to continue my career in my backyard.”
The Clippers didn’t want to move Williams, but he was the only salary-matching piece that made sense in their deal for Rajon Rondo, writes Sam Amick of The Athletic.
The Hawks, incidentally, received high marks on that trade from ESPN’s Kevin Pelton (Insider link). Rondo hadn’t been effective this season and was owed a guaranteed $7.5MM salary for 2021/22, so trading him for Williams’ expiring $8MM deal and multiple second-round picks was an “enormous win” for Atlanta, Pelton argues.
Here’s more on the Hawks:
- Although it’s a win for the Hawks overall, the Rondo trade will cost the team a respected veteran leader in the locker room, according to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, who says some players were going to the point guard for guidance over former head coach Lloyd Pierce. Kirschner notes that Williams, a 16-year veteran, should help replace Rondo’s leadership.
- With Rondo gone, the Hawks don’t have a clear-cut backup point guard, but general manager Travis Schlenk said today that he thinks Williams can fill that role, with Bogdan Bogdanovic and others also sharing ball-handling responsibilities, per Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Schlenk added that the team will count on Williams to inject more offense into a second unit that has often struggled to score without Trae Young on the floor.
- Atlanta never had any “serious conversations” about a John Collins trade prior to Thursday’s deadline, Schlenk told reporters. “We’ve been steadfast that we view John as a big part of our team, a big part of our franchise,” the Hawks’ GM said, according to Spencer. “Like with all our players, we do our due diligence to see what their value is, but I don’t think that you’ve ever heard myself or anybody else in the Hawks organization say that we don’t place great value on John. We do.”
- Schlenk told reporters today that the plan is for Kris Dunn (ankle) to scrimmage on Monday, and that the guard could make his Hawks debut near the end of the team’s current West Coast road trip, tweets Spencer. That trip concludes on April 2 in New Orleans.
8:34pm: The exchange of Williams and Rondo is now official, per press releases from the Clippers and Hawks.
“Being able to acquire a respected veteran in Lou Williams, one of the best scorers and playmakers off the bench in league history, and two second-round picks accomplished a couple of the goals we had,” Hawks team president Travis Schlenk said in a statement.
“We could not be more excited to welcome Rajon to the Clippers,” Clippers team president Lawrence Frank said. “He is a proven winner, a relentless competitor, and one of the most skilled orchestrators of his era. We believe he will elevate our group and continue to propel us forward.”
The Clippers clarified in their announcement that the 2023 second-rounder headed to Atlanta in the deal is Portland’s pick.
1:32pm: The Hawks and Clippers have reached an agreement to swap Williams and Rondo, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).
Atlanta will also acquire a pair of second-round picks and cash in the deal, sources tell Charania and Amick (Twitter link). It’ll be a homecoming for Williams, who won’t be flipped to a third team, tweets Charania.
According to Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link), the second-rounders going to Atlanta are 2023 and 2027 picks. That ’27 selection will be L.A.’s own. The Clippers control Portland’s 2023 second-rounder in addition to their own, so it’s not clear which of those picks the Hawks are getting.
1:30pm: Lou Williams has been discussed in the Clippers/Hawks negotiations, according to Charania and Sam Amick of The Athletic (Twitter link), who indicate that Williams could end up in Atlanta or be re-routed to a third team.
Williams is on an $8MM expiring contract.
1:27pm: The Clippers and Hawks are engaged in serious discussions about a deal that would send Rajon Rondo back to Los Angeles, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported earlier today that the Clippers were eyeing Rondo.
Rondo, 35, signed a two-year, $15MM contract with Atlanta in the offseason after spending the previous two seasons with the Lakers, winning a championship with the team in 2020.
However, his numbers have dipped since joining the Hawks, as he’s averaged a career-low 3.9 points and 3.5 assists per game in just 14.9 minutes per contest. He has also been limited to 27 games due to injuries.
Despite his declining production, Rondo could still be an asset for a team like the Clippers that has been scouring the market for a play-making guard to complement its two star forwards, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
If the Clippers swing a deal for Rondo, they’ll have to send out some salary. As Bobby Marks of ESPN notes (via Twitter), the point guard’s salary is $7.5MM and the Clippers have just $2.6MM in breathing room below their hard cap.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
As expected, the Hawks will hold on to power forward John Collins, tweets Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. The deal that sent Rajon Rondo to the Clippers for Lou Williams and two picks is the only one that Atlanta plans to make before the deadline, according to Kirschner.
Collins has been a hot name on the trade market for the past few weeks, but things seemed to change in the last 48 hours as the Hawks couldn’t find an offer to their liking. Collins told reporters on Tuesday that he was hoping to stay in Atlanta past the deadline.
The decision sets up an intriguing summer for Collins, who is on track for restricted free agency. He turned down an extension prior to the season that would have paid him roughly $90MM over four seasons, but he indicated this week that he might accept less than a max-salary offer. The Hawks have reportedly informed rival teams that they plan to match any offer he gets as a free agent.
Collins, 23, has played an important role in the Hawks’ rise to playoff contention, averaging 18.1 points and 7.8 rebounds in 44 games.
The clock is ticking on the trade deadline, with less than 90 minutes to go. Here are a few tidbits about possible last-minute deals:
- ESPN is reporting that the Sixers have dropped their pursuit of Kyle Lowry after trading for George Hill, but the Heat are still trying to acquire the Raptors‘ point guard, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. A source tells Jackson the Lakers and Clippers have also contacted Toronto about Lowry.
- The Clippers have asked the Hawks about point guard Rajon Rondo, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (Twitter link from Mirjam Swanson of The Southern California News Group). L.A. was interested in signing Rondo in free agency, but he opted for a two-year, $15MM deal with Atlanta.
- After acquiring All-Star center Nikola Vucevic from the Magic, the Bulls are trying to shake up their roster ever further, tweets K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports. Chicago is still talking to the Pelicans about Lonzo Ball, but New Orleans wants more than Lauri Markkanen in return. The Bulls used a lot of their draft capital in the Vucevic deal.
- Offers for Thaddeus Young haven’t improved enough for the Bulls to consider moving him, tweets Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times.
- The Warriors could be a possible destination for Sixers guard Danny Green, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times (Twitter link).
While John Collins has been mentioned in trade rumors for the last few months, the Hawks are unlikely to trade him at this year’s deadline, Adrian Wojnarowski said during ESPN’s televised Woj & Lowe Trade Deadline Special this afternoon.
“They are going to keep John Collins,” Wojnarowski said. “… Expect him to finish the year with the Hawks.”
Meanwhile, Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News – who says (via Twitter) that the Mavericks are one of the few teams “loosely” engaged in talks for Collins – cites a source who thought the big man was a lock to be dealt two weeks ago but now estimates the likelihood of a trade to be 40%.
Assuming the Hawks aren’t blown away by a last-minute offer, the opportunity to stay in Atlanta for at least the rest of the season should please Collins, who spoke on Tuesday about his desire to remain with the team.
The next step would be working out a long-term contract in the offseason when Collins reaches restricted free agency. If he and the Hawks can’t find common ground, an offer sheet or a sign-and-trade deal would be another option.
Wojnarowski also said on this afternoon’s ESPN special that Atlanta had some interest in Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball, but that possibility may have “gone by the wayside.” Woj wouldn’t be surprised if the Hawks ultimately stand pat at the deadline, or end up just making small tweaks around the edges of their roster.
One of the most frequent subjects of NBA trade speculation in recent weeks, Hawks big man John Collins, made it clear on Tuesday that he’d prefer not to join a new team this week, as Sarah K. Spencer of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution details.
“I want to stay,” Collins told reporters. “I want my flowers here in Atlanta. I want to be true to Atlanta for my entire career, as corny or cheesy as it may sound to whoever. As a basketball player, as someone who takes pride in their job, me being drafted in the organization, and me living here, becoming a man and living my life in the NBA as a Hawk, it means something to me.
“It might not mean a lot to other people, but I want to be here. I want my future to be here. I want to think about my future here, but as I said, the reality of the situation is it’s not always, stuff doesn’t always go the way I want it to, and all I can do to make sure that my future is as good as it can be is to make sure that I’m the best player I can be, and wake up every day and figure it out.”
Collins and the Hawks discussed a rookie scale extension prior to the season, with Atlanta reportedly offering somewhere in the range of $90MM over four years. The 23-year-old turned down that offer, putting him on track for restricted free agency in 2021, but it sounds like he’s still interested in working out a new long-term with his current club. Collins said last March that he believed he was in “max contract contention,” but he clarified on Tuesday that a maximum-salary offer isn’t all he’ll accept.
“There has never been a single number,” Collins said, per Spencer. “I never said ‘I need a max,’ or I never said ‘I’m only taking a max.’ All I said was I feel like with my play and what I’ve done I feel like I should be in max contention, or I should be in the caliber, realm of guys, who do what I do on the court, and that’s all I said. There was no, ‘Oh, I need a five-year max,’ this and that, I never said any of that.”
If the Hawks believe a rival team will offer Collins a max-salary offer sheet this offseason and they’re wary of matching it, a trade this week would make some sense. But Atlanta has reportedly conveyed to teams inquiring on Collins that they’re comfortable matching any offer for him in free agency. As such, the odds of an in-season trade appear to be declining.
According to Chris Mannix of SI.com, the Hawks don’t seem willing to give up Collins for anything less than a package of young players and draft picks. Mannix adds that rival executives are saying Atlanta isn’t operating like a team eager to move the young power forward, while Collins said on Tuesday that he expects to remain with the Hawks through the deadline.
If the Hawks’ stance changes between now and Thursday afternoon, the Hornets are a team to watch, according to Mannix, who notes that Charlotte could put together a package headlined by Devonte’ Graham and draft picks and would have the flexibility to sign Collins to a lucrative new contract this summer.
A Tuesday report stated that the Pacers are listening to inquiries on Malcolm Brogdon, and Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote today that the Hawks have had discussions about the guard. However, Brogdon won’t be dealt this week, two sources tell J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (subscription required). Still, Indiana is worth keeping an eye on, as the club has underperformed to some extent this season.
Multiples sources tell Michael that Pacers coach Nate Bjorkgren, who has strong relationships with Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis, can be “too much of a micro-manager,” while another source suggested that’s to be expected for a first-year head coach who is still learning the ropes.
There’s no indication that Bjorkgren’s job is in any jeopardy, but the coaching staff may receive an offseason shake-up, Michael reports. In the meantime, it’s unclear if the Pacers will make any deadline moves — their plan as of a few weeks ago was to stand pat and wait for Caris LeVert to round into form and T.J. Warren to get healthy, says Michael.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- Addressing a question about Lonzo Ball in his latest mailbag, K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago says he’s heard the Pelicans are seeking at least a first-round pick in any deal involving the fourth-year point guard.
- John Hollinger of The Athletic identifies Kenrich Williams as a player to watch at the trade deadline, noting that the Thunder forward is on a team-friendly contract and has had a breakout season. Williams, whom we highlighted in our Trade Candidate series last week, would likely command at least a second-round pick, says Hollinger.
- The Kings are still considered likely to trade Nemanja Bjelica, but the timing of that deal is “trending toward deadline day,” a league source told Jason Anderson of The Sacramento Bee.
Magic forward Aaron Gordon continues to be one of the most intriguing trade candidates leading up to Thursday’s deadline, with a Monday report indicating that the Celtics are believed to be the frontrunners for him. Boston reportedly offered two first-round picks and may be eyeing a bigger deal that also features Marcus Smart and Evan Fournier, as Sam Amick of The Athletic confirms.
According to Amick, the Nuggets are currently viewed as the second-strongest suitor for Gordon. Denver has done a good deal of research on the veteran forward in an attempt to determine how well he’d fit the team’s system and culture, sources tell The Athletic.
The Rockets were considered a serious threat to land Gordon at one point, but they no longer to be among the favorites. As Amick explains, the 25-year-old’s disinterest in signing a longer-term extension with Houston may dissuade the club from giving up valuable assets for him. Gordon’s current contract is set to expire after the 2021/22 season.
Here are a few more trade rumors from around the NBA:
- The Kings, who reportedly offered Marvin Bagley III to Detroit in a proposal for Saddiq Bey, have also made Bagley available in discussions with the Hawks about John Collins, says Amick. The Celtics, meanwhile, have “cooled” on Collins due to concerns about how much he’ll cost to retain in restricted free agency, Amick adds.
- The Pacers would have to be blown away by a “no-brainer” deal in order to trade Myles Turner this week, multiple sources tell J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star. The Hornets, Lakers, Clippers, Knicks, and Pelicans are among the teams with interest in the big man, according to Michael, who says one three-team deal discussed last season would’ve sent Turner to New Orleans and Collins to Indiana.
- The Nuggets and Mavericks remain on the lookout for wing help, with both clubs offering second-round picks and a veteran for salary-matching purposes (Gary Harris and James Johnson), per Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
Knicks point guard Derrick Rose has exited the NBA’s health and safety protocols, the team announced today (via Twitter). However, it remains to be seen when he’ll be cleared to return to action, since he’ll have to rebuild his strength and conditioning following a bout with COVID-19, as Peter Botte of The New York Post writes.
“I was away because I actually had (the virus),” Rose told reporters, including Botte, on Monday. “I felt all of the symptoms, sick and everything.
“… It was completely different. They say everybody is different, but with me, I never felt anything like that before. I’ve had the flu. It was nothing like the flu. You’re drained and everything. It was that times 10. So like I said, slowly getting back, I’m progressing every day and just trying to get back in the swing of things.”
According to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, Rose said that his kids, his girlfriend, and his girlfriend’s mother all contracted the coronavirus as well, though it didn’t hit his kids as hard.
Here are a few more health and injury updates from around the NBA:
- The Nets will be without Kyrie Irving and Landry Shamet as they begin their three-game road trip on Tuesday in Portland, writes Malika Andrews of ESPN. Irving isn’t traveling with the team as he attends to a family matter. Shamet sprained his right ankle on Sunday, though an MRI didn’t shown significant damage, per Adrian Wojnarowski.
- While the Hawks‘ latest injury report lists De’Andre Hunter (right knee) as questionable for Monday’s game vs. the Clippers, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports says Hunter is expected return to action tonight after missing nearly two months. Hunter says he’ll be a game-time decision, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Within that same Yahoo Sports story, Haynes notes that Sixers center Joel Embiid is expected to have his left knee bone bruise reevaluated at the end of the week. Philadelphia will be extremely cautious with Embiid’s return, as the ultimate goal is to have him at 100% for the start of the playoffs in May, Haynes adds.
- A left knee sprain will sideline Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for Monday’s game vs. Indiana, per the NBA’s afternoon injury report.