What the Jazz’s John Collins Trade Means for Taylor Hendricks

The first official trade from the Utah Jazz has finally happened this offseason with the deal to bring in Atlanta Hawks’ big man, John Collins. We saw increasing rumors during the past couple of weeks connecting the Jazz to veteran forwards with hefty contracts. The large cap space number Utah had to work with made them a prime salary dump destination to start the summer.

With the $78m/three-year deal Collins is currently signed to, he fits that mold. Atlanta was becoming suffocated in the salary cap with the introduction of the new, strict CBA, so a deal involving JC was inevitable. Thankfully, the Jazz had the means to accommodate the Hawks’ needs, only needing to part ways with Rudy Gay and a second-round pick.

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. pic.twitter.com/CpAfTNXKMq
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) June 26, 2023

It’s a move that’s both low-risk and high-reward for Utah. John Collins at his peak has shown his ability to reach All-Star status as a player. The Hawks didn’t pay him a nine-figure contract just two seasons ago for nothing. There’s some clear talent on the table to work with.

However, bringing in a big name like Collins that will ultimately eat some minutes in the frontcourt tends to bring up questions surrounding the long-term vision for the position. With the Jazz investing a top-ten pick on another big like Taylor Hendricks, how will the team approach put this talent on the floor going into next season?

It’s not hard to imagine Collins as the day one starter next season given his experience and contract alone. Even with such a high investment into Taylor Hendricks, bringing him off the bench initially to learn the ropes behind a league veteran like Collins may be the best way to jumpstart his career. His stint as a bench player could even last for just half a season, but the gradual implementation of him into an NBA lineup is a much wiser move than throwing him to the wolves.

John Collins is likely on his fully-guaranteed contract until the 2026 season if he accepts his player option in the last season. That’s a total of three seasons on the books in Utah. The Jazz have all of the draft capital necessary to move off of that contract at a moment’s notice.

The second Utah is in a position to need salary relief or need to free up minutes in the frontcourt, the Jazz can do that. The second Taylor Hendricks is ready to make the jump to a starter in Utah, Will Hardy can easily make that adjustment. It may seem like a contract that implies a big commitment, but the Jazz have strategically positioned themselves to have more financial and roster flexibility than the average NBA franchise.

John Collins may eventually wind up as the short-term starter next to Lauri Markkanen, but the acquisition doesn’t mean much in terms of the future outlook of Taylor Hendricks. If anything, it may end up only helping his development as a player going forward.

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