Jazz Acquire John Collins via Hawks: Biggest Winners & Losers

Utah Jazz CEO Danny Ainge made his mark again. The savvy executive was able to complete a high-reward/low-risk trade to acquire Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins on Monday that had social media buzzing.

Jazz forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick were dealt to Atlanta in exchange for Collins. The domino effect of the exchange will mean new beginnings for some parties, while others not so much.

Who stands to benefit the most from the Collins trade? And who was hurt?

Let's take a look at the Jazz's biggest winners and losers moving forward as the team continues to reshape its roster.

Winner: Danny Ainge

'Trader Danny' was able to take advantage of the salary cap crunch the Hawks found themselves in and gave up next to nothing for the services of Collins. Sacrificing just a second-round pick and Gay appears to be yet another fleece job.

Since arriving in Salt Lake City, Ainge has completely reshuffled Utah’s roster. The Jazz have traded Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, Mike Conley, Royce O’Neale, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Gay, and three second-round picks, with the net return being the following:

Lauri Markkanen
Walker Kessler
Collin Sexton
Ochai Agbaji
Talen Horton-Tucker
Keyonte George
Brice Sensabaugh
Damian Jones
Seven first-round picks
Three first-round pick swaps

Loser: Hawks

The Hawks are trending in the wrong direction. The exchange on Monday gave them some salary cap relief, but they’re still a franchise stuck between a rock and a hard place.

There’s too much talent on the roster to break it down, but not a clear path to get much better for at least another year. Most likely, the Hawks aren’t done cleaning house with Clint Capela and Dejounte Murray becoming free agents next year. Look for Atlanta to take a big step back this coming season and attempt to reload in 2024-25.

Winner: John Collins

Collins is leaving a situation where he was the No. 4 option in an offense that has two ball-dominant guards. Now Collins is arguably option No. 2 in Utah, playing under a coach in Will Hardy that has a track history of getting the most from his players.

It remains to be seen whether we get the version of Collins that was a major contributor in leading the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals, but at the very least, there will be more opportunities for a player that has a new lease on life.

Loser: Taylor Hendricks

There’s no getting around the fact that the signing of Collins will cut into the playing time for the No. 9 overall pick of last week's draft. The Jazz should still be able to ease Hendricks into the rotation, but being a starter in his rookie year won’t be in the cards unless an unforeseen injury bumps him up the depth chart.

Loser: Oklahoma City Thunder

With the signing of Collins, the Jazz have an opportunity to pay off the debt of the 2024 top-10 protected draft pick owed to the Thunder. It would be a good year to do it with what’s projected to be a weak 2024 draft class.

The way it’s trending for the Thunder, that selection most likely won’t be in the lottery in a year where blue chip prospects will be thin..

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