BREAKING: Atlanta Hawks And Utah Jazz Reportedly Make A Trade
John Collins has been one of the best players on the Atlanta Hawks since he was drafted with the 19th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft out of Wake Forest.
The talented forward helped the franchise make the NBA Playoffs for three straight seasons, and they made the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021.
That said, Collins has been in trade rumors for quite some time now, and on Monday, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the 25-year-old is being traded to the Utah Jazz.
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."
Collins is coming off a season where he averaged 13.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 blocks per contest while shooting 50.8% from the field.
The Hawks were the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference and lost to the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs in six games.
Collins is entering the third year of a $125 million contract that will pay him $25.3 million for the 2023-24 season.
The Jazz entered rebuilding mode last summer when they traded away franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.
That said, the team was still competitive this season and have talented players, such as Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Collin Sexton.
The addition of Collins could make them a potential playoff team in the Western Conference.
