The Feb. 10 trade deadline is getting closer in the NBA and now is the time for teams to figure out what to do at the deadline in order to upgrade their team and move forward with their plans to improve.
The Philadelphia 76ers are one of the teams that will be looking to upgrade their team in order to put the right pieces around Joel Embiid in order to contend for a title. That means finally solving the Ben Simmons situation and moving on from the disgruntled star.
While the Sixers are still asking for a top 25 player in a deal for Simmons, they could be beginning to ask for something a little less in order to truly help the team compete. While Simmons is with the team, he has yet to play for Philadelphia 38 games into the year now due to trying to get himself mentally ready to play.
Per Shams Charania of The Athletic and The Stadium, the Atlanta Hawks could become a serious suitor for Simmons and they could offer frustrated star John Collins in a deal:
The Hawks are an emerging potential landing spot for Simmons, whose Defensive Player of the Year-caliber play would surely elevate one of the league’s bottom five defenses. In scanning the Hawks’ roster, it’s obvious John Collins — who signed a five-year, $125 million deal in restricted free agency last offseason — and Cam Reddish are among the players who could acquiesce a package for Simmons. It’s unclear whether the Hawks are ready to put such a proposal on the table after making a run to the Eastern Conference finals a season ago.
Collins, however, has grown increasingly frustrated over his role in Atlanta, multiple sources have told The Athletic. His shot attempts per game and usage rate have decreased in each of the past three seasons — even as the athletic, energetic Collins has improved his offensive repertoire. The 6-foot-9 big man has challenged the Hawks locker room on multiple occasions to play team basketball and commit to one another this season. Oftentimes, Collins has felt his voice go unheard.
Collins, 24, is eligible to be traded on Jan. 15.
The Sixers still want a star in exchange for any deal involving Simmons and it makes sense considering how much of a talent he is and Collins is a questionable fit in Philadelphia considering Tobias Harris is more of a power forward than a small forward. However, Collins does shoot 42.7% from deep on 3.0 attempts per game so that could intrigue president Daryl Morey to make a deal.
However, it is known that the Sixers actually want Simmons back with the team and they also will wait until the offseason to see if James Harden becomes available from the Brooklyn Nets. They still want that top player in exchange for Simmons to pair with Embiid and seriously contend in the East.
This post originally appeared on Sixers Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
[mm-video type=playlist id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://sixerswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
[listicle id=57077]
[lawrence-related id=57092,57095,57089]