As trade rumors heat up, Utah Jazz forward-center John Collins finds himself in a familiar place.
Once at the forefront of speculation when he was with the Atlanta Hawks, the big man is on the block once again. Though acquired by the Jazz just last summer, Forbes Sports’ Evan Sidery reports that Utah is “expected to shop” Collins this offseason.
The Jazz are expected to shop John Collins in trade talks this offseason.
Collins averaged 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds while shooting 37.1% on threes.
The 26-year-old forward has two years remaining on his deal, which includes a player option, making $26.6 million annually. pic.twitter.com/k6K1Mn9hbv
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) May 25, 2024
A seven-year veteran, Collins has career averages of 15.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game. He’s also made 433 career 3s, shooting 35.8 percent from beyond the arc. Indeed, his ability to space the floor vertically and horizontally is what separates him from many big men.
Jazz To Trade Recently Acquired John Collins
A few teams will likely be interested in Collins’s services.
He has a valuable skillset and he’s just 26 years old. At that age, he’s both mature enough to be considered a veteran and young enough to be a fixture in a rotation. However, his contract will scare away several potential suitors, as he’s due $53.2 million over the next two seasons.
If Collins was a better shooter or shot-blocker, his contract wouldn’t be as much of an obstacle. That said, when the Hawks signed him to a five-year, $125 million in 2021, his 2019-20 campaign was fresh on their minds. In what was the best season of his career, he averaged 21.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 40.1 percent from 3.
He also got busted for using performance-enhancing drugs, leading to a 25-game suspension in Nov. 2019. This naturally led to questions about how much of Collins’s growth had been organic.
After all, since that season, Collins has averaged 15.4 points per game (-6.2 points less than his career-high) and hasn’t offered nearly as much as an interior defender. Because his lateral movement is so choppy, the quality of his perimeter defense is largely dependent upon the matchup. Nonetheless, his play inside may have been impacted by the change in his supplements.
Ultimately, any team that acquires Collins will have qualms about it. His contract is an eyesore and his trajectory is sloping downward. Nonetheless, he’s a relatively young and productive player who is well-liked by his teammates.
Looking at the NBA landscape, teams like the Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, and Sacramento Kings could have interest in Collins.
