OKC Thunder: 2 potential trades to acquire John Collins

OKC Thunder trade idea No. 2 to acquire John Collins

The second trade package is a bit more of a swing with the Thunder giving up essentially the same package of draft picks. The biggest difference is the outgoing talent that swaps Al Horford in for George Hill and fits the Mavericks needs more concisely.

I won’t revisit the reasons why Collins works for the Thunder or the benefits to the Hawks because it’s virtually the same.

But let’s look at why this option might be more amenable to the Mavericks specifically and the one difference for the Thunder.

Returning to the 20 points, 10 rebounds benchmark it’s notably that last season Luka Doncic (28.8 points, 9.4 rebounds) and Kristaps Porzingis (20.4 points, 9.5 rebounds) came very close to joining that extremely small group.

With that in mind, it’s odd the Mavericks rank 27th in rebounding this season. Moreover, their offensive and total rebound percentage also ranks 27th.

On the season, the Mavericks rank ninth offensively and a brutal 26th defensively. Although it’s fair to state Dallas suffered because of players missing games due to COVID-19 coupled with injuries. That said since Porzingis returned on January 13th the Mavericks rank 29th defensively.

This is why this second trade package makes more sense for Dallas. The Mavericks were among the main clubs (Raptors, Heat) hoping to add Giannis Antetokounmpo this coming offseason. With the Greek Freak re-upping in Milwaukee, the Mavericks need to move on and find a player who can fit into their frontcourt ideally as their defensive anchor.

Like the Hawks, the Mavericks want to contend now and while they have the players who can dominate offensively their defense is in desperate need of help.

Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 2/14/2021.

While the experiment in Philly never paid dividends a look at this season finds Horford playing closer to the level he provided with the Celtics. He’s averaging more points in fewer minutes and shooting the 3-ball at a 40.4 percent clip.

Although his salary is high his presence beside Porzingis would offer the option of either of them playing inside or on the perimeter. With Richardson and Porzingis both capable of above-average defense Horford could be the missing piece to take the Mavericks to the next level.

Miller gets thrown in as a 3-point specialist who along with Horford would help improve the 25th ranked Mavericks 3-point shooting efficiency.

The one difference in the package coming to the Thunder is the inclusion of James Johnson. He’s a gritty vet who fits the positionless system and can fill up a stat sheet plus do a lot of what doesn’t end up on the box score. JJ is a talented vet that perhaps doesn’t get recognized enough for his abilities in helping develop young players.

In each of his stops, he’s had an invaluable impact on the young players. While with the Raptors it was common to find him at their G-League games cheering on the developing core. Likewise, he spent hours in the gym immediately after games to work with then 18-year old Bruno Caboclo.

He had a similar impact with the Heat. So much so that Tyler Johnson and he became godfathers to each other’s sons. When Tyler was traded to the Suns and his #8 jersey was unavailable he selected #16 paying homage to his former teammate and friend James.

Since the Thunder are under the cap his expiring contract would either create room to use in re-signing Collins or the Thunder could investigate bringing him back on a reduced contract.