Finally the time has come.
In recent years, the John Collins rumors have been a major part of the NBA’s trade talks surrounding the deadline and the opening of free agency. After years of debating whether the Hawks would finally move him, it finally appears to be happening. The Hawks strike a deal to send Collins to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gay and a second-round pick.
That’s an insanely low return for someone like Collins, and the deal, first reported by ESPN, feels like a steal for jazz. Let’s sort out the red ink and put some notes on this trade.
Utah Jazz takes over John Collins
The Jazz have had Collins on their radar for a while. And acquiring it for next to nothing in exchange of short-term or long-term value is a big win.
Collins is not a veteran to be missed. He had one of the worst seasons of his career last season, averaging his lowest points per game since his rookie season and his lowest rebounding average of his career, and recorded his worst shooting season of his career. In his first five seasons, he made 55.9 percent of his shots and 37.6 percent of his threes. Last season, that figure dropped to 50.8 percent and 29.2 percent, respectively. His defense has been suspect for many years and probably peaked two years ago.
Still, Collins is a great rim runner and has been one of the better pick-and-roll big men in the league for the past few seasons. He can still jump out of the gym and put someone on a poster, YouTube highlight, Instagram reel, TikTok video or whatever we call it these days. The Jazz have to hope that Collins’ poor season didn’t bode well for the future. He struggled a lot when the Hawks left him behind Trae Young as one of their key options. He fell into the background in many ways and his overall game and minutes suffered as a result.
Lauri Markkanen was having his best season with the Jazz, and moving to Utah made him an All-Star and Most Improved Player. Maybe that’s too ambitious for Collins, but there’s plenty of room for his growth. The Jazz should be able to play Markkanen, Collins and Walker Kessler simultaneously. Markkanen has shown during his time in Cleveland that he can play the winger/small forward and that should make the Collins transition much easier. There are many frontcourt combinations that jazz can use.
Things might get a little tight with rookie Taylor Hendricks, but the Jazz have no problem getting creative with their lineups. Overall, Utah has been convinced for years that something is right with Collins. As jazz continues to grow and retool, it costs them next to nothing to get it into the mix.
Grade: A
Atlanta Hawks acquire Rudy Gay and a second-round pick
I admit that I’m not particularly convinced that Collins can make the difference. He’s incredibly athletic and has solid skills, but I never felt like he was going to be the starting striker of a really great team. And it seems like the Hawks have had similar feelings about Collins for years because there are always rumors he’s in the barter. Even leading up to his limited free agency in 2021, the Hawks were trying to lure him into something worthwhile and avoid signing him for big bucks.
The annual tradition of considering a trade with him didn’t materialize, and the Hawks eventually signed him on a five-year, $125 million deal in the summer of 2021. After two years on that contract, the best they could do for him was a 36-year-old Rudy Gay and a second-round pick? That can’t possibly be a fair value, whether you believe in Collins or not.
It’s a terrible task to maximize value for a player that should still be an asset. For Atlanta, this appears to be the first move of many given the low yield. The Hawks will create a trade exception with the gap between Collins’ salary ($25.3 million) and Gay’s salary number ($6.4 million). That may eventually help them take steps. It also helps ease the pain of upcoming luxury tax penalties, as the Hawks were just over $1 million under the luxury tax last season.
That still feels like a faint drop in pay. We’ll see how much of this squad gets moved over the coming weeks. Clint Capela, De’Andre Hunter and many others not named Trae Young could all be relocated. Even for a pay cut, the Collins deal is a complete failure on its own. We’ll have to see what comes next.
Grade: F+
(Photo by John Collins and Collin Sexton: Alex Goodlett / Getty Images)