Report: Jazz Frustrated With John Collins, Listed Onto Trade Block
Despite acquiring the former Atlanta Hawks forward in a trade less than six months ago, the Utah Jazz may already be looking to shop John Collins just a quarter of the way through the 2023-24 NBA season.
According to a report from The Salt Lake Tribune’s Andy Larsen, the Jazz have become increasingly frustrated with Collins on both ends of the floor and have effectively placed him onto the trade block:
Perhaps the biggest surprise on the trade block is new power forward acquisition, John Collins, the source said. The 26-year-old has the lowest on-court/off-court splits of any rotation player on the team, and the team has been frustrated with his slow uptake on learning the Jazz’s system on both ends of the floor.
Through Collins’s initial 22 games of his first year in Utah, he’s averaging 14.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, and one block a night on much-improved shooting splits (48.2/38.3/75). While we’ve seen some steps forward from his last season in Atlanta, the Jazz seemingly haven’t seen enough for him to be considered in the team’s long-term plans.
The Jazz traded for Collins during this past summer in exchange for veteran Rudy Gay and a second-round pick. It was a move initially dubbed as a buy-low-sell-high one that may ultimately benefit Utah by elevating his value and potentially trading him for a better return in the future.
And while he might now be on the block, Larsen continues to describe what may be a difficult task for the Jazz front office to shed Collins, and more importantly, his contract, from the team if they decide to deal him:
...But Collins’ iffy early season play (he’s having the worst season of his career by most all-in-one metrics) and remaining 3 years and $77 million left on his deal could make selling Collins difficult. The Hawks tried to trade him for multiple trade windows before acquiescing to the Jazz’s deal in June.
With the Jazz currently sitting at a 9-16 record, good enough for 12th in the Western Conference, team CEO Danny Ainge may be eyeing the opportunity to capitalize on value to continue to build for the future rather than to attempt to bolster the front lines of this current roster.
Just under two months remain until the NBA trade deadline arrives, there is still ample time before the Jazz feel forced to make a decision. Look for the Utah front office to remain in trade whispers surrounding Collins and the rest of their roster until the league buzzer sounds.
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