Jazz Acquire John Collins in Trade With Hawks, per Report

The Hawks reportedly found a buyer for John Collins, who will be headed to Utah.

The Hawks and Jazz reportedly agreed to a trade on Monday which will send power forward John Collins to Utah. 

The Jazz will acquire Collins in exchange for veteran forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round draft selection, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.

The Jazz are anticipated to absorb the remainder of Collins’s five-year, $125 million deal he signed ahead of the 2021-22 season. He’s got three more years on the deal and is due approximately $78 million during that span, although he has a player option worth $26.58 million ahead of the 2025-26 season, at which point he could potentially opt out. 

Offloading Collins’s salary will enable the Hawks to be players on the free-agency market. Atlanta received a $25 million trade exception as a result of the deal with the Jazz, which will enable the Hawks to further fortify the roster.

Collins is entering his seventh season in the NBA. After a strong start to his career, the 25-year-old endured something of a down year in 2022-23, averaging 13.1 points and shooting a career-worst 29.2% from three-point range.