John Collins, of Atlanta, was in the garden Monday night and at the shopping block.
Collins, selected 19th overall in 2017, is a next-generation forward / center, shooting 6-foot-9.
The Knicks are seemingly well-matched at the forefront with potential All-Star Julius Randle and his 2020 Obi Toppin lottery pick.
The Knicks haven’t asked about Collins yet. They’re likely to see more than they have of Toppin and be able to see first-hand the Atlanta mound in Monday’s game, where Collins scored 19 points with four rebounds in a 123-112 Knicks victory at the Garden.
The Hawks see if there’s a strong market for the former Wake Forest star, but NBA executives believe they won’t change Collins if they don’t get a huge offer. Collins ’value for Atlanta seemed to wane when they switched last season for center Clint Capela. The team is reportedly hearing offers for Collins because it turned down a $ 90 million extension offer and may become a restricted free agent this summer.
Although he has been a poor defender, Collins remains an athletic man who came in on Monday with an average of 18.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 39.1 percent from 3 Collins is only 23 years old, and was selected long after Frank Ntilikina (No. 8) and former Knicks goalie Dennis Smith Jr. (No. 9) in the draft.
The Knicks are on standby as they deal with Mitchell Robinson’s broken hand that could keep the big man at least six weeks out.
According to reports, the Hawks are looking for at least one high lottery selection for Collins. The Knicks can have two lottery picks in the 2021 draft: theirs and Dallas ’. Still, the Knicks are currently in the playoff position at No. 7 and Dallas is up.
Perhaps an offer from one of their first two first-round picks plus Ntilikina might prove appealing, but the Knicks should be comfortable offering Collins a long-term deal.
Collins and Ntilikina have almost the same salaries, but the French tip is out of the Knicks ’rotation.
The Hawks were considered a major threat to the playoffs after a strong low season in which former Knicks lottery coach Danilo Gallinari, Bogdan Bogdanovic and striker Rajon Rondo signed. But they took the garden court between 11 and 15, having lost six of their previous seven games.
The Knights Center, Andre Drummond, is also on the commercial block and stays out of the games until it moves. According to a source, Drummond, a Mount Vernon native and imminent free agent, would consider the Knicks a good landing site.
Robinson has another consultation Tuesday before deciding whether to undergo surgery.
Ntilikina has been off the team for a week to locate COVID-19 contacts and remains negative. He will join the Knicks “soon,” said coach Tom Thibodeau.
Thibodeau said rookie Immanuel Quickley’s next step is to “learn the league because they are learning from him.”