How much would it cost to steal John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks?

John Collins has a case for wanting more on his next contract

As I said, Spurs fans are already on edge about overpaying yet another player now that the team finally has real money to work with. The rumor that Collins turned down a $90 million contract extension from the Hawks only adds to the hesitation. That reported extension offer would've had John averaging about $22.5 million per season, but the word was that he was seeking a max deal.

Looking at Collins' production in Atlanta so far, he has a case for wanting the franchise that drafted him to show him the money. Over the last three seasons, he's averaged 19.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 38.4 percent from 3-point range. This season, he put up 17.6 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Collins made $4.1 million in 2020-21 and is a restricted free agent this summer. This means that a team like the Spurs could send an offer sheet his way but a match by the Hawks means they retain him. If Atlanta passes on matching such an offer, Collins then joins the offering team under the terms of the offer sheet.

The key for San Antonio will be threading the needle between overpaying Collins and finding a figure that Atlanta may want to decline to match. To get a better idea, I turned to someone tapped into the salary game.