Zach Harper: Would you rather Zion or JC and a 14/15 pick?

[Sultanofatl]

Atlanta Hawks (Previously 26th), 12-27 (-7.5 net rating)
Atlanta Hawks fans, would you rather trade John Collins and your own own pick for Zion Williamson or keep the core as-is but not get to draft Zion at all?

Hawks fans are already sick of hearing about the Luka Doncic-Trae Young trade. Doncic has been historically good through the first half of his rookie season, garnering a lot of praise and probably too many All-Star votes through the first returns. Young’s shooting has struggled a lot so far, but his ability to run the point and set up teammates is highly encouraging. The pick coming from the Mavs in this trade doesn’t look like it will be nearly as good as the Hawks hoped on draft night. Dallas has been surprisingly competitive and are looking to find their way into the postseason.

Collins has been a breath of fresh air for the Hawks so far, but the potential and interest surrounding Zion could legitimately change the fortunes of this franchise. There aren’t many players in the world who can make Collins look like an inferior athlete, but Zion is one of them. Collins looks like a really important player moving forward though. So would you keep a late lottery pick in a 2019 class that isn’t supposed to be deep, and then move your own high pick plus Collins in exchange for pairing Zion with Young? Or would Hawks fans rather keep Collins, pick in the 10-14 range, and not end up with Zion using their own selection in June? Personally, I’d take the hype of Zion and what he could mean for the franchise, pair him with Young, and run a million pick-and-rolls. I’d trust Travis Schlenk to find someone valuable with that Dallas pick. But it’s a tough question for what actually works best for the future of the Hawks.

[Spud2nique]

I prefer to keep Collins and draft Zion. Don’t put a ceiling on our chances the media already does that.

[EazyRoc]

The Mavs are 14th (out of 15th) in the West and there are clearly only 5 bonafide crappy squads that I think got this losing thing sewed up. The other 6-15 (Mavs) could change spots weekly. If I was a GM, I wouldn’t do the trade even though I think Zion will likely be the better player. I’d only feel comfortable trading JC and a pick for a known commodity. JC, TP, Mavs 1st for an AD rental with the chance to give him a quarter billion ? It’s a good package to jumpstart the Pelicans rebuild.

[Spud2nique]

The Mavs are 14th (out of 15th) in the West and there are clearly only 5 bonafide crappy squads that I think got this losing thing sewed up. The other 6-15 (Mavs) could change spots weekly. If I was a GM, I wouldn’t do the trade even though I think Zion will likely be the better player. I’d only feel comfortable trading JC and a pick for a known commodity. JC, TP, Mavs 1st for an AD rental with the chance to give him a quarter billion ? It’s a good package to jumpstart the Pelicans rebuild.

AD and Trae would be awesome. Huge package but I’d do it I think. AD is that good.

[High 5]

Collins just averaged 21/13 for an entire month. Those are the kind of numbers you'd be excited to see Zion put up as a sophomore.

[saloonyk8]

Collins is a slightly undersized Amar'e. Problem is there's no guarantee of getting Zion.

[King Ken]

If we can't get Zion at 1, we can't get him at all. No one is trading that pick.