The Atlanta Hawks have finally traded John Collins. After parking him on the trading block for what seemed like an entirety, they finally sent the 25 year old to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy Gay – who exercised his $6.4M player option for 2023-24 season as a part of the deal – and a future 2nd round pick.
Collins has been shopped for the past few years by the previous Atlanta front office, led by Travis Schlenk, but they never actually pulled the trigger, always holding out for a better offer that never materialized. Collins had his worst season in the NBA this past season, averaging 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds. His lowest totals since his rookie year. That led to what amounts to nothing more than a salary dump, as the Hawks moved on from Collins and the $78M left remaining on his contract as ownership has given the front office a mandate to get themselves below the luxury tax line before the new season kicks off.
Collins averaged over 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Hawks on 40% 3-point shooting one year before Atlanta signed him to a 5 year, $125 million dollar contract in 2021. Since then, he’s become a nearly invisibly part of the offense, highlighted by his sub 30% 3 point shooting since he inked his new deal.
At his best, Collins is a strong rebounder who can stretch the floor, attack the paint and hold his own on defense. His offense trailed off these past few seasons as the Hawks opted to utilize their big men like Clint Capela more frequently in pick and roll situations, leaving Collins as a decoy on the offensive end of the floor.
While moving him for pennies on the dollar stings, Atlanta has opened up a huge $25.6 million dollar trade exception, which could end up being the biggest part of the entire deal. Atlanta has emerged as a franchise that’s looking to make major upgrades to their roster, and shedding Collins’ $78M over the next 3 years will help them facilitate any upcoming deals as they navigate the new luxury tax implications of the CBA. For his part, Rudy Gay’s $6.4M deal is an expiring contract which could be flipped or bought out altogether. Whether the soon to be 37 year old actually suits up for Atlanta this season remains to be seen.
ESPN Sources: The Hawks are finalizing a trade to send F/C John Collins to the Jazz for Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick. Atlanta’s largely unloading Collins’ three years, $78M for some roster building flexibility and alignment with looming changes to salary cap. pic.twitter.com/CpAfTNXKMq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2023
According to reports, Atlanta has been in constant communication with the Toronto Raptors this offseason, as they’ve shown interest in acquiring 29 year old forward Pascal Siakam. For their part, Toronto has this far rebuffed each of Atlanta’s advances, but that doesn’t seem to have deterred the Hawks front office quite yet.
The Jazz are one of the few teams with ample cap space after parting with Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last offseason, making them a perfect partner to facilitate the deal as Danny Ainge continues the rebuild. The team is in no rush to win games, and taking a flier that the recent decline of Collins is at least partially situational is a risk free move.
Collins, who will enter the upcoming season at only 26 years old, can certainly become a contributor on a team that can properly utilize him. And if he returns to form in a more prominent role with the Jazz, Ainge will almost certainly leverage that in a future trade for additional assets. The Jazz suddenly have a huge and talented frontline with 7 footers Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler along with Collins. Add in Ochai Agbaji and the 9th overall pick Taylor Hendricks, and you have a selection of moveable pieces that average over 7-foot wingspans. Utah is going big, and having Collins as an upside starter or super-athletic bench piece makes for an intriguing group.
-Devon Gallant
Twitter: @DevGallant
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