John Collins: Trae Young is a way better playmaker than Stephen Curry and he’s a better isolation scorer

Golden State Warriors superstar Steph Curry has further solidified his link with Under Armour. The two-time MVP received 8.8 million restricted stock units of the company’s common stock on April 3 as part of his extended role as brand ambassador, a package valued at $75 million, as disclosed in a recent SEC filing. Under Armour’s extended contract has the potential to be a lifetime deal for the NBA star if revenue goals are met. -via Front Office Sports / April 11, 2023

The $75 million stock compensation will vest in two installments planned for 2029 and 2032. Curry earned $48 million this season as the NBA’s highest-salaried player as part of his Warriors contract that will pay him about $165 million through the 2025-26 season. -via Front Office Sports / April 11, 2023

Jorge Sierra: Active players in the Top 50 Stephen Curry. Donte DiVincenzo. Danny Green. Draymond Green. James Harden. Serge Ibaka. Kawhi Leonard. Georges Niang. Klay Thompson. Out of the Top 50 now: LEBRON 😮 -via Twitter @hoopshype / April 10, 2023

Trailing by a point with 7.2 seconds left, Timberwolves coach Chris Finch looked at Karl-Anthony Towns in the huddle and told him he’d get the ball with a chance to put Minnesota ahead. It set up Towns for a memorable return from a right calf injury. Towns drove to his right against Atlanta’s John Collins, drawing a foul. He converted both free throws with 3.6 seconds left to send Minnesota to a 125-124 win against the Hawks on Wednesday night. “Shoutout to Finch having that confidence in me after 51 games and all of the things I had to deal with,” said Towns said, who scored 22 points. “I just knew in my bones I wasn’t going to miss.” -via ESPN / March 24, 2023

“I’ve been through losing years, up years, down years, having playoffs, coming back, whatever,” forward John Collins said. “This one has been one that (is), in the best way, just drama. Just like a soap opera, you know what I mean? This, that, what’s going on? Nobody even asks me about basketball. Everybody asks me about the show.” -via The Athletic / March 13, 2023

As noted above, Atlanta was one of the teams trying to acquire Jae Crowder. The Hawks, Rockets, and Suns had exploratory discussions on a three-team trade. In that scenario, John Collins would’ve landed with the Rockets, Eric Gordon and KJ Martin with the Suns, and Crowder and Landry Shamet with the Hawks, but nothing of substance materialized, league sources told HoopsHype. Atlanta also tried to acquire Crowder in three-team trade talks with Utah and Phoenix centered around Collins going to Utah, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley going to Phoenix, and Crowder and Shamet going to Atlanta. Among the reasons this scenario didn’t materialize was a disagreement in draft pick compensation that would’ve gone to Utah in the talks. -via HoopsHype / March 2, 2023

Only two years removed from a trip to the Eastern Conference finals, the once-promising Atlanta Hawks are now spiraling. A play-in berth last season led to their first-round annihilation by the Heat, triggering a front-office makeover and an eventual head-coaching change. On Tuesday, they’ll face the Heat again, this time in the play-in, with the stakes even higher and the face of the franchise’s future potentially hanging in the balance. With the offseason approaching, league sources say the Hawks’ front office has the green light from ownership to do whatever it wants to with the roster, which includes considering trade opportunities involving All-Star point guard Trae Young. -via The Ringer / April 10, 2023

League sources say during months of negotiations in the lead-up to his February hiring, Snyder demanded—and now wields—significant influence over personnel decisions. Though Atlanta’s front-office dynamic is described as a collaborative effort, many high-level decision-makers from opposing teams believe that it’s now Snyder who has the final say. In any case, it’s typical for incoming management to restructure a team in line with their own vision. So, that begs the question: What do the Hawks and Snyder hope to build? -via The Ringer / April 10, 2023

The Hawks hoped that Murray would weaponize Young, reminiscent of his Oklahoma days, when he played more like Damian Lillard, using screens and handoffs. It would’ve been a game changer this season if Young had tapped into his college style. Trae can be shifty moving without the ball when he wants to be, and he’s shot 40.3 percent on 3s off the catch over his career. But of the 52 qualifying players to make over 40 percent of their catch-and-shoot 3s since 2017-18, Young is the only player with under 1.5 attempts per game, according to Second Spectrum (minimum 500 attempts). -via The Ringer / April 10, 2023