5 reasons I believe Saddiq Bey will be traded to ATL for John Collins

1. Bey lost his job in the starting lineup which leads to some questions. With Bojan around will Saddiq be happy coming off the bench for the next 2 seasons? Will the Pistons be willing to pay what it will take to sign Bey to an extension when he is eligible next year? Will Saddiq want to re-sign here if he's still not in the starting lineup? On a sneaky side note with the way Kevin Knox has been playing the Pistons may want to open up some minutes for him to see if the progress he has shown is sustainable. Moving on from Bey would also potentially open up more minutes for Isaiah Livers.

2. With his size, rebounding skills, and ability to shoot from 3 to help stretch the floor (has slightly higher career 3p% then Bey) Collins fit at PF next to the 6'7" Bojan and either Duren or Bagley at C would be excellent, This trade would also give the Pistons the ability to play Stewart at PF with either Bagley or Duren (whoever doesn't start) on the second unit.

3. At 25 years of age, Collins fits right in with the Pistons young core.

4. The Pistons are one of the few team's who can take the 3 years and $78M left on Collins contract after this season without having to worry about luxury tax concerns in the near future. By the time Cade and Ivey are eligible for extensions and with the way the salary cap and player salaries are expected to rise Collins contract should not be any type of hindrance. It may even be considered a bargain at that point.

5. The Hawks want/need to free up future cap space. Replacing Collins who will make $25M next year with Bey who will only make $4.5M would instantly alleviate the Hawks luxury tax concerns for next season and getting rid of his long term, big $ contract would help clear a financial path to get Murray & Okongwu (potentially Bey too) signed to extensions when each are eligible next season. The Pistons have the expiring or non-guaranteed contracts of Burks (who i would prefer not to include) Noel, Hami, Cojo, Livers, and McGruder (after 12/15) available to match salaries. I doubt there is any other team in the NBA that can offer a player as talented as Bey that can cover the position for $20M less next season & do it without giving The Hawks back any other future salary. the Pistons could also dangle their 2nd round pick in the upcoming draft (or any of the other 2nd rounders DET owns) which likely will be at the top of the round and should appeal to a team like ATL with financial issues.

What a potential Collins/Bey trade could look like.

Obviously the main part of this trade is Bey and the #2 for Collins, the rest is just expirings used for salary filler though Hami & Cojo could see playing time for ATL with both the Holiday brother's struggling and Bogdan out with a knee injury. The real value in acquiring the 3 extra players for Atlanta would be having their nearly $20M in expiring contracts available to use at/before the trade deadline (along with that #2 pick) to upgrade the roster if need be.

Pistons Depth Chart After Trade (would have 1 open roster spot)
C: Duren, Bagely, Stewart
PF: Collins, Stewart, Knox
SF: Bojan, Livers, Krejci
SG: Ivey, Burks, Martin
PG: Cade, Hayes, McGruder

I personally believe that once Collins is finally traded by the Hawks and gets to a new team where he can settle in and know he is a big part of that teams future his game is going to take off. I don't care how mentally tough a player is, having to deal with all that noise takes a toll on a person, Especially one who has been constantly in the trade rumors for as long as Collins has. Once he finds a home and has peace of mind from the stability, whatever team has Collins on their roster is going to majorly benefit. I am really hoping that team will be the Pistons.