After being on the trade block since the day he entered the NBA – or so it felt – power forward John Collins was finally traded on Monday in a deal that sent him from the Atlanta Hawks to the Utah Jazz.
The trade ends an era in Atlanta, while possibly signaling where the franchise intends to go next with Trae Young as its core star. Meanwhile, the intrigue for Utah’s rebuild only escalates as Danny Ainge keeps piling up an arsenal of big men.
This is the trade in full, first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
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
As far as NBA trades go, this one is pretty straightforward. The Jazz are getting Collins. The Hawks are getting Rudy Gay and a second-round draft pick. Very little complications there.
How did the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks do in the trade that sent John Collins to Salt Lake City for Rudy Gay and a draft pick?
Then again, there’s always more than what meets the eye in the NBA. Teams are always jockeying to improve their draft capital or free up salary cap space, particularly at a time when the new collective bargaining agreement makes it even more constraining for owners to keep too much money on the books.
This offseason has already been busy for the trade market. Chris Paul has gone from Phoenix to Washington to Golden State. Jordan Poole is in Washington. Kristaps Porzingis is in Boston, while Marcus Smart is in Memphis. Bradley Beal is off to Phoenix. In all likelihood, the Collins transaction is not the last domino that will fall in the trade world.
So how did each team fare in this deal? Let’s take a look, starting with Atlanta.
Grading the Atlanta Hawks
Sent Out: John Collins
Received: Rudy Gay, future second-round pick
Last season, long-time NBA veteran Rudy Gay spent most of his time on the Utah Jazz bench, averaging 5.2 points per game in fewer than 15 minutes per contest. In other words, this is less about what the 36-year-old can do for Atlanta on the court and more about getting rid of John Collins’ contract.
In that sense, this trade was a success for Atlanta. Collins’ three years and $78 million left on the books? Gone. The deal also helped generate a $25.3 million trade exception, which could come in handy if the team looks to add a third star.
Gay isn’t without expenses, though. While certainly less than what Collins would’ve been owed, Gay still opted into the last year of his deal upon the trade, which will pay him $6.4 million in 2023-24. Entering free agency, Gay’s cap hold ranks seventh on the Hawks roster, according to Spotrac, suggesting he should be more of a rotational player than he’ll likely be in his age-37 season.
But Atlanta, which looked like a legitimate playoff threat a couple of years ago, certainly got much worse on the court in the immediate future with this trade, all in the name of financials.
It’s also very valid to wonder why Atlanta couldn’t get more for Collins than a late-stage veteran and a second-rounder for the road. While Collins isn’t a superstar, he is entering his age-26 season as a five-year full-time starter who once averaged a double-double. For his career, he’s averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.
If the Hawks use their newfound cap space for good, this discussion can be different. But the returns for Atlanta are disappointing.
Grade: C
Grading the Utah Jazz
Sent Out: Rudy Gay, future second-round draft pick
Received: John Collins
It’s unclear how Collins will fit with the Jazz, considering the plethora of talented big men already on the roster. But to acquire a young starting-level player for peanuts is almost always worth it, so long as it can be afforded.
Collins joins a group of big men that already include first-time All-Star Lauri Markkanen, reigning rookie stud Walker Kessler, and veteran big man Kelly Olynyk. Collins seems like he would fit well with what Will Hardy liked to do last season, however, with the ability to spread out and be more ball-dominant than he could’ve been in a Trae Young offense.
His athleticism should also make his switchability on defense a major asset. The Jazz could employ a rare lineup of mainly big men while still being able to maintain a certain degree of defensive principles if they need Collins to go up against a quicker player.
Even though the most recent season was one of the worst of Collins’ career, it wasn’t atrocious by any means. He still managed to average 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. He needs to get better as a three-point shooter, but that kind of production from a third or fourth option is solid for a team in the midst of a quicker-than-expected rebuild.
In all likelihood, Collins would slot in between Kessler and Markkanen in the starting lineup, allowing the Finnish star to move down to the 3. Kelly Olynyk can either be a top big man off the bench or an opportunistic trade asset.
Taking a flyer on John Collins could’ve been a wise decision for any number of teams. Doing so without sacrificing the rebuild – or without giving up much of anything – makes this a big win for the Jazz.
Grade: A-