League sources have confirmed that the Hawks and Jazz are finalizing a deal that will send John Collins to Utah the athlete. ESPN was the first to report the news. Here’s what you need to know:
- Atlanta would receive forward Rudy Gay and a future second-rounder from the Jazz in exchange for Collins.
- Collins has approximately $52 million left on his contract, plus a player option worth $26.58 million in 2025-26.
- The 25-year-old averaged 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds in 71 games with the Hawks last season.
the athleteInstant Analysis:
Jazz finally got to Collins
This trade was in the works for a while for Jazz. They’ve had an interest in Collins for over a year. They weren’t excited about his contract, but they think he fits in well with their lineup and system and he just needs a change of scenery.
He immediately slides forward, but can also play center. The Jazz will play a large front field, with Lauri Markkanen at small forward. – Jones
Go deeper
Trade Scores John Collins: High Mark for Jazz; Not so much for Hawks
What indicates the acquisition of Utah
By trading with Collins, the Jazz is sending the message that they aim to be competitive in the next season’s playoffs, or at least play in the competition. They owe a top-10 first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder next season, and they’d like that pick to move in order to pay off the debt. Trading with Collins sends a message of their intent to do just that. – Jones
Why Atlanta Trade?
In the short term, the Hawks are fixing the payroll situation. Removing Collins’ $25.34 million salary takes them out of the luxury tax for 2023-24 opportunities, and for that matter reduces the urgency to trade either Clint Capella or DeAndre Hunter, two other prominent names in the trade rumor mill. This will also allow coach Quin Snyder to increase the playing time of young forwards Jalen Johnson and AJ Griffin. – Schultz
What do I do with Hawks back?
Collins has been a perennial commercial rumor for the better part of three seasons. There had been efforts to trade him in the past but the various parties in the Hawks’ management/ownership opposed offers that were on the table. The problem with this season was that while the forward was still a talented player, he was coming off a poor shooting season and his role in attack had diminished.
So the value of his trade was very low and the team effectively had to take pennies on the dollar per trade. – Schultz
background story
Collins played his entire six-year career in Atlanta after the Hawks drafted him with the #19 pick in 2017. He re-signed with the team on a five-year, $125 million deal in August of 2021.
Guy, who reportedly exercised his $6.4 million player option in 2023-24 as part of Monday’s deal, averaged 5.2 points and 2.9 rebounds in 56 games off the bench at Utah last season.
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(Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
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