3 Heavily-rumored trade targets Spurs reportedly never wanted


2. John Collins, Atlanta Hawks
In the rumors that just wouldn't die, John Collins has been a name the San Antonio Spurs can't escape dating way back to last offseason. As an athletic, 6-9 forward-center, he's always made sense as someone who could thrive in San Antonio since that type of player is exactly what they've been missing.
Still, injuries and inconsistency plagued the 24-year-old last season, and there have been warranted concerns about if he's worth a lucrative contract. In the end, I feel like the same reason the Spurs apparently weren't interested in taking on Collins is the same as with Ayton -- money and situation.
Originally, it looked like San Antonio still did have interest in Collins when exploring trade options for Murray.
Atlanta and San Antonio have discussed a deal that would swap John Collins for Dejounte Murray, sources said. Spurs have told interests teams that moving Murray would require a "Jrue Holiday-like package." More league-wide trade notes @BR_NBA: https://t.co/Q06G8qLlVu
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 23, 2022
Around the same time, Ellis was reporting Collins would likely be traded to a third team if he was going to be involved in a trade for Dejounte Murray. He later reported the Spurs were more interested in as many unprotected first round picks as they could get instead.
Last year, I was hopeful the Spurs would be able to plug a guy like Collins into their system. Considering all the assets they just received back from Atlanta, though, I'm happy with this result.