Nets Have Interest in 24-Year-Old Atlanta Hawks Star

Getty John Collins #20 of the Atlanta Hawks reacts with Trae Young #11 after drawing a the fifth foul from Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks

Kevin Durant is set to return to the Brooklyn Nets next season after an offseason of trade rumors following his June trade request. The rumors continued through the end of August when, on August 23, the superstar rescinded his request following a meeting with Steve Nash, Sean Marks, Durant, Durant’s agent Rick Kleiman, and Nets governors Joe and Clara Tsai. The news was first released in a statement from Marks. 

“[Coach] Steve Nash and I, together with [governors] Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai, met with Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman in Los Angeles yesterday,” Marks said in a statement. “We have agreed to move forward with our partnership. We are focusing on basketball, with one collective goal in mind: build a lasting franchise to bring a championship to Brooklyn.”

Now with Durant staying, the team has some decisions to make about how they finalize its roster. They are known to be looking for a backup center, and Hassan Whiteside and Dwight Howard have been mentioned, but perhaps the team may make a play for another starter this offseason. One target they may have is a player that was included in the Durant negotiations previously. 

Nets Eyeing John Collins Following Durant News

On August 24, Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype shared that multiple officials for the Brooklyn Nets are known to have an interest in the young big man for the Atlanta Hawks, John Collins. 

“Multiple members of Brooklyn’s front office have been admirers of Atlanta’s John Collins from afar for years, league sources told HoopsHype. However, Collins wasn’t enough to be the headline player in a trade package with the Hawks for Durant,” Scotto reports. 

Collins has been on the Hawks trading block for some time now, and the team has remained unable to find a trade partner of the big man. Collins averaged 16.2 points and nearly 8 rebounds per game in Atlanta last season. The big man could be an excellent addition to the Nets’ starting lineup if they were able to get a deal done. 

Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons, and Durant are expected to round out a big three in Brooklyn, and Collins could be a welcome addition. Without Simmons, the Nets getting a deal done for Collins seems unlikely, but they do have an interest. Could a package headlined by Joe Harris be enough to get the deal done? It seems unlikely, but perhaps there are other teams interested in possible three-team deals after the recent Durant fallout. 

Nets Backup Center Interest

Brooklyn still has roster space to make some additions this offseason, and it will be interesting to see what they do with it. One executive shared with Heavy.com three potential Nets targets to round out free agency. 

“They need another big guy, but they’re not feeling a lot of pressure as far as filling that spot. There are veterans they can sign this month or even early next month—Dwight Howard would be the obvious one, maybe Hassan Whiteside. Cody Zeller is out there, too. They want to see what they have with Nic Claxton, but they want some insurance there, too. And they’re going to play (Ben) Simmons there quite a bit in small ball lineups. I’d expect them to keep 14 guys, keep one spot open. There has been some talk about them signing Carmelo Anthony, maybe as a nod to Kevin Durant, but obviously that has not gotten anywhere, at least not yet,” the executive shared. 

With Durant returning, he is known to want to play with Carmelo Anthony, is that a player Brooklyn will target this season?