Offseason targets No. 4: John Collins
A premier name that could hit the restricted free agent market this offseason is going to be the Atlanta Hawks rising star 6-foot-9 and 235 pound power forward John Collins. The former Wake Forest Demon Deacons big man and 23-year-old Collins is having another solid season with the Hawks, but he doesn’t look to be valued as much as he should be in Atlanta.
The future for the Bulls at the four in the starting unit seems murky for Donovan beyond this season. Fourth-year power forward Lauri Markkanen was just demoted to more of a bench role, hence Karnisovas and Eversley might decide to let him walk in restricted free agency next offseason. Markkanen is currently in the midst of the final year of his rookie contract.
Collins has turned into one of the NBA’s premier big men under the age of 25. The fellow first round 2017 NBA Draft pick (alongside Markkanen) is averaging 18.2 points per game, 7.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.5 steals, and 1.5 blocks, through 47 games played this season. And he’s shot an impressive 54.5 percent from the field, 38.0 percent from beyond the arc, and 83.8 percent from the free-throw line.
If there’s a chance that the Bulls could slot Collins alongside Vucevic for their future starting frontcourt, they would immediately have one of the most formidable frontlines in the East. The main problem with signing Collins next offseason will be the lack of cap room that Karnisovas is dealing with. We’ll see if he can get creative to make something like this happen.