John Collins Traded to the jazz

By: Dharya Sharma

The day is finally upon us. After years and years of trade talks, John Collins has finally been traded out of Atlanta. The Hawks are sending the 25 year old forward to the Utah Jazz in exchange for Rudy gay and a future second-round pick. Though the return may be low, the Hawks clear a ton of cap space by making this move. Collins has three years left on his contract, which will pay him an astonishing 78 million dollars. This trade opens up a 25 million dollar trade exception for Atlanta that they could use to potentially trade for an impact player to pair with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Collins’ tenure in Atlanta was filled with a lot of highs, but also some lows. He averaged 21.6 points per game in 2019 and was an impact player for the Hawks for a good three year stretch. Even though Collins can be a great offensive player at times and can bring value on the defensive end, his contract was just too high for Atlanta to keep. For the Jazz, this is a phenomenal trade as they bring in Collins for very little to pair with an already strong frontcourt of Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler. Collins’ will be a versatile forward/center for Utah who has the ability to stretch the floor. This trade may not be the most exciting, but a win-win for both sides as Atlanta frees up a ton of money and Utah adds an impact player for next season.

Trade Grades:

Atlanta: B

Jazz: B+