Atlanta Hawks trade John Collins
Jul. 10—NBA power forward John Collins has been in trade talks for what seems like three years. Once one of the Atlanta Hawks most promising rising stars, Collins turned into one of the Hawks most tradable assets and they finally found their trade partner, the Utah Jazz.
The Jazz are currently in a major rebuild. Utah was one of the best regular season teams in the NBA, but consistently fell short in the playoffs. However, last season the Jazz brought in former Celtics GM Danny Ainge, who is known around the league as an aggressive trade partner. He quickly traded away the Jazz's top talent in Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, guiding Utah into an official rebuilding period.
Many thought the jazz would fall to the bottom of the western conference, but they actually put together a solid season, winning 37 games and finishing twelfth in the conference. Not a bad season for a team in a rebuild.
Now with the addition of Collins, the Jazz are coming into the 2023-2024 season boasting a roster that includes solid players like Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, and Lauri Markkanen. The Jazz won't be competing for a title. Maybe not even a a playoff spots, but with a roster made up of solid talent and 15 first round draft picks through 2029, the future of professional basketball in Utah looks very bright.
As for Atlanta, this move provides some much needed cap room. In 2021, Collins signed a five-year deal with the Hawks worth $125 million, a contract on which he has two years left. This trade frees up money for the Hawks to take care of other players they need, such as Dejounte Murray and Saddiq Bay. The Hawks also have a couple of rookies in Seth Lundy out of Penn State and the number 15 pick out of Michigan, Kobe Bufkin who could turn into solid players themselves.
The only player the team got in the trade was Utah's Rudy Gay. The 17-year veteran won't provide much production on the court. The only real value he has to the Hawks is leadership in a very young locker room. This move was clearly for the money. Collins stats have declined in recent years and he has not been worth the $125 million the Hawks gave him.
The trade also gives Atlanta a $25.3 million trade exception that they have a year to use. With this, the Hawks can potentially trade for a number of different players that could help them close the gap on other eastern conference teams like the Celtics, 76ers, and Bucks. Players who have been named as potential targets are the Celtics Malcolm Brogdon, though his injuries have presented trade problems for the Celtics in the past. The Hawks could also trade for the Raptors' OG Anunoby, who has been in and out of trade talks for the past few seasons.
Anunoby could provide some meaningful scoring and consistent shot making for the Hawks as he shot 47.6% from the floor for the Raptors last season. He is also an excellent defender. Anunoby was a member of the 2022-2023 NBA All-Defensive second team and secured a career high 1.9 steals per game last season. The danger he provides on the defensive end also makes him a threat in transition, something the Hawks could definitely use.
For both the Jazz and the Hawks the future will be very interesting and this trade makes it that much more intriguing.
