2017 First Round Pick Emerges As Possible Miami Heat Trade Target

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The Miami Heat have gotten off to a slow start since the free agency period began Sunday night. No progress has been made after missing out on Kevin Durant, who was traded to the Houston Rockets last week. Among the players already linked with the Heat are Sacramento Kings guard DeMar DeRozan and Golden State Warriors forward Jonathan Kuminga.
A new possible addition has emerged according to multiple reports: Utah Jazz forward John Collins.
Here's what The Stein Line wrote: "The Miami Heat are an oft-mentioned potential Kuminga suitor and Bam Adebayo. The Heat have also been linked to Kings scoring guard DeMar DeRozan by various league sources and likewise mentioned as a potential destination for Utah's very available John Collins."
While the Heat would prefer Kuminga or DeRozan, Collins is a solid third option. He was drafted in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks in 2017. He averaged a career-high 21.6 points and 10.1 rebounds in 2019-20 but his numbers declined in the next three seasons.
It led to a new start with the Jazz in 2023. Last year he averaged 19 points and 8.2 rebounds. If he is on the trade block, he would serve as a serviceable complement to a frontcourt that already includes Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware. Collins could become the Heat's third player with potential to score 20 points a night, joining Adebayo and Tyler Herro.
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Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel. He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here