Just two days in, this year's NBA Free Agency has already been an exciting one for NBA fans. While there have been plenty of predictable deals made so far, like Steph Curry's max extensions, there have also been plenty of bonafide shockers. Lonzo Ball, Kyle Lowry, Reggie Bullock, and Rudy Gay have all gone to new teams, and most notably, Carmelo Anthony has signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Lakers, where he will finally be teammates with longtime friend LeBron James.
That left important players like Kawhi Leonard, John Collins, Victor Oladipo. Andre Iguodala, DeMarcus Cousins, and more still on the Free Agency table. According to ESPN, one of those players has closed a huge deal, and as a result, restricted free agent John Collins will return to the Atlanta Hawks on a five-year deal.
According to ESPN, John Collins averaged 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game over the last season and had a huge impact on the young team's morale during their unexpectedly deep playoff run this summer, and apparently, that was enough for the Atlanta Hawks to secure his talents for $125 million over five years. This comes days after the basketball team re-signed Trae Young on a massive $207 million max extension.
Collins was selected as the 19th overall pick during the 2017 NBA draft, and he remains the longest-tenured player who is currently on the Atlanta Hawks roster. The lucrative deal is a major money move for Collins who made the polarizing decision to decline a $90 million extension with the Hawks last season. It's safe to say that John Collins, the Hawks, and the city of Atlanta are satisfied with Collins resigning, as they hope to improve upon their awe-inspiring performance this past season.
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