The Atlanta Hawks and John Collins still have yet to agree on a contract extension and the upcoming NBA season is nearing its start. Will the two sides reach an agreement on a deal?

On the latest episode of the HoopsHype podcast, The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner discussed the latest with the Hawks’ contract discussions with John Collins ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season— making it clear both sides want to get a deal done.

“I do know that both sides would like to get something done. That’s been expressed both publicly and privately. I remember talking with John at the start of last season in training camp, and he was telling me that he loves Atlanta and wants to be here. He wants to be a building block alongside Trae Young.”

There still seems to be a disconnect between John Collins’ stance on compensation between the amount the Hawks are comfortable paying him long-term.

“The issue is that he might come across if he remains adamant about being a max player, and he’s not a max player. He’s a very good player. He’s someone who can possibly get around $100 million, and that’s obviously life-changing money and can set up his family for the rest of eternity. But, if he remains adamant that he wants a deal that’s around Bam Adebayo’s contract, he’s going to be waiting until next summer possibly, because it’s not happening this year. It’s just not.”

It seems as though this situation will end up being taken into next summer when Collins becomes a restricted free agent. The Hawks will be able to allow the open market to determine Collins’ value and can match any potential offer sheet he ends up signing.

There are clear limitations to John Collins’ skill-set on both ends of the floor where he needs to show improvement this season. If he can become a more impactful defender, become more of a playmaker, and clean up his off-ball sloppiness, it would be undisputed that he’s a max player.