John Collins...Our Third Star

[StepBackJay]

 I appreciate the response.   I don't have a issue with Collins the talent, but I worry about the $.  But I think the biggest issue for me, and I should have mentioned it in my post, is that I don't think the Mavs have a lot of leverage here.   This Hawks team has a fighting chance of making it to the Eastern Conference finals as a young team.  Any offer Dallas can offer will not make Atlanta better on the court next year.  It would help their salary distribution out, but I think Atlanta has several options here.  And I don't think Dallas is one of those good options imo.   

Maybe they find a taker for Gallo.   Maybe that would be tough???   Maybe they keep Collins and see how their young rookie from USC develops.   Is he a better match with Capela or Collins?  If Collins maybe they decide to keep Collins and move Capela either next year or the following offseason?  I just don't see the Atlanta GM being pressured to lose an asset or giving away an asset for nothing.

There has been some good ideas on this thread on how this can happen, but it is pretty complicated to make it work.  And all it takes from Atlanta to blow it up is if they say no to any negotiation with Dallas.  And we all know Cuban negotiating a basketball deal is not his strong point.     Or Atlanta's agent uses a max offer from Dallas for leverage.   I just don't believe this is something the Mavs can pull off.   

Maybe I am wrong, but to me it just feels like chasing a rabbit down the wrong hole.

I think you are making it more complicated than it has to be. I am also not in love with Collins as much as the Mavs are and the Mavs may love Collins more than Hawks do to be honest.

The Hawks do not want to lose Collins but their cap sheet is going to get bloated pretty quickly now that their young core is up for new deals including Trae's max extension. The Mavs way to steal Collins is away is twofold: a) overpay him (the classic way to steal RFAs) and b) offer a trade to Atlanta. That way they back Atlanta into a corner.

If Hawks think Maxi or any of the other Mavs offers are trash they can reject the Mavs offer knowing that it still will require some maneuvering on the Mavs part to officially make that offer sheet. The Mavs might go that route calling Atlanta's bluff or they might withdraw.

Seeing as how it would be a detriment to Dallas and Atlanta both for Dallas to sign Collins to an offer sheet that is or isn't matched, I don't believe it will play out that way.

My guess is that Mavs will go the trade route or move on. I suspect even before FA opens we will know whether or not a trade is in the works or whether Collins is expected to just sign a deal with the Hawks. So in my view it really comes down to what if anything with the Hawks accept for Collins and how far will the Mavs go to get him?

With all that said, given how desperate they are this year to add a name I suspect they will go far enough to make things interesting.