John Collins Trade Rumors: Hawks Re-engaged Jazz in Talks Before 2023 NBA Draft
The Atlanta Hawks and Utah Jazz reportedly discussed a trade involving forward John Collins leading up to Thursday's NBA draft.
According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports, the Hawks "re-engaged" in trade talks focused on Collins, but no deal "materialized."
Fischer also reported that the Hawks spoke with the Indiana Pacers about potentially trading forward D'Andre Hunter, in addition to having "significant talks" with the Detroit Pistons about Hunter.
The Hawks ultimately stood pat, but Fischer noted that Collins and Hunter remain candidates to be traded prior to the 2023-24 season.
There was perhaps no player in the NBA last season who was the subject of more constant trade rumors than Collins, but he remained on the team throughout the campaign and into the offseason.
Still just 25 years of age, Collins has been in the NBA for six years, but he is coming off his worst season since his rookie year.
Collins started all 71 games he appeared in last season, but he averaged just 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 1.0 block and 1.0 three-pointer made per contest.
That was a far cry from the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons when Collins combined to average 20.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1.1 three-pointers made and 1.0 block in a total of 102 games.
The former Wake Forest standout's numbers have declined since then, but last season was significant worse than the previous two campaigns when he combined to average 17.0 points and 7.6 rebounds.
The arrival of guard Dejounte Murray as the second scoring option behind Trae Young likely played a significant role in Collins' diminished production last season.
Collins' declining play has perhaps made him difficult to trade, as has his contract, since the Hawks signed him to a five-year, $125 million extension in 2021.
He is under contract for at least the next two seasons and has a player option for 2025-26, meaning any team that trades for him would be making a significant financial commitment.
The Jazz would possibly be the most logical landing spot for Collins since he is from Utah, and would give a rebuilding team another youngish player with talent to develop.
Last offseason, Utah traded center Rudy Gobert to the Minnesota Timberwolves and guard Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers, landing a massive haul of draft picks in the process.
The Jazz also got a Rookie of the Year contender in center Walker Kessler from Minnesota and a first-time All-Star in forward Lauri Markkanen from Cleveland.
Collins could give the Jazz one of the most versatile and talented frontcourts in the NBA, but acquiring him would also give Utah less flexibility to add to other spots, which may not be something CEO of basketball operations Danny Ainge wants at this point in the rebuild.
