A recent skid has the New Orleans Pelicans falling down the standings in the Western Conference. On a four-game losing streak, their record has dropped to 26-21, putting them in fourth place in the conference, seven games behind the Denver Nuggets. As the NBA trade deadline nears, could they get active?
The absence of Zion Williamson has played a large part in their extended run of inability to win. Williamson has missed 10 games and counting because of a hamstring injury. During that time, the Pelicans are 3-7.
On the season, New Orleans is 9-9 without Williamson in the lineup, so they have found limited success whenever he is not on the court.
Unfortunately, adjusting to Williamson being absent is something that the Pelicans are used to. He has been sidelined for more games than he has appeared in during his NBA career, putting some pressure on the rest of his teammates to pick up the slack.
As one of the top teams when healthy, it comes as no surprise that the Pelicans are looking to add to their roster ahead of the trade deadline. Looking to shore up the frontcourt, they have been linked to John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks, according to Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. However, talks never got too serious and Atlanta isn’t going to just give Collins away to make a move.
The New Orleans Pelicans reached out to the Atlanta Hawks regarding forward John Collins, but talks were merely preliminary, according to league sources. Atlanta is fielding offers for Collins but is comfortable keeping him on the roster past the trade deadline if the right move does not materialize.
Collins has seen his role diminish in recent seasons with the Hawks and would likely be open to a change of scenery. An obstacle to moving him is his contract, as he is in the second year of a five-year, $125 million pact.
That, coupled with his performance this season, puts the Hawks in a tough spot. He is the one player that the team was engaged in trade talks with following the shake-up in their front office with Travis Schlenk moving into an advisory role and Landry Fields taking on a larger role as general manager.
On the season, Collins is averaging 13.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.3 blocks per game. His 3-point shooting has fallen off a cliff as he is making only 26 percent of his attempts. But, overall, he remains efficient, making 62.6 percent of his 2-point attempts and 50.9 percent of his shots overall.
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