John Collins; The Jazz Obtain Him By Trading With The Hawks
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Utah Jazz have acquired John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks. Rudy Gay, as well as a second-round selection, is returning to the Hawks.
John Collins; The Utah Jazz Obtain Him By Trading With The Atlanta Hawks
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, the Utah Jazz have acquired John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks. Rudy Gay, as well as a second-round selection, is returning to the Hawks.
Given that the Hawks have relied on the 25-year-old John Collins as a cornerstone player since selecting him in the first round of the 2017 draft, the return might seem modest. Still, the deal will free the team from a contract that will see them owe Collins $78 million over the following three seasons. Additionally, it will allegedly provide them with the most significant trade exception in the NBA, at $25.3 million.
According to reports, the deal will enable the Hawks to significantly lower the $182.5 million second apron and go below the $165 million luxury tax level for the upcoming season unless they utilize that trade exception to sign another player. According to Spotrac, the team’s current cap value is about $159.5 million.
The transaction is said to include Gay’s player option, which is worth $6.5 million and can’t be formally exercised until July 6.
The Hawks cut ties with John Collins for what reason?
Since Collins signed his five-year, $125 million agreement that quickly became a dubious asset, trade rumors have been rampant around him for the past few years. Collins can stretch the floor, attack the paint, and compete on defense when he’s at his best. He also has excellent rebounding ability. Since the Hawks started to contend for a playoff spot, his statistics have, regrettably, declined.
Last year, Collins averaged 13.1 points per game, which was a career low, and had career lows in 3-point shooting (29.2%), rebounds (6.5), and assists (1.2), all while playing his customary 30 minutes per game.
When the Hawks are searching for players who can play off-ball when Trae Young and Dejounte Murray are in charge, something else will be needed.
Despite adding Murray at an excellent price, Atlanta’s 41-41 record and eighth-place finish in the Eastern Conference last year declined from their 43-39 record the year before. The Boston Celtics defeated them in the opening round.
The Jazz is expecting Collins to find his form in a new system, similar to what occurred to Lauri Markkenen last season when the big man moved from being a bench player for the Cleveland Cavaliers to being chosen for his first career All-Star game.
