Report: Jazz Trade a Veteran to Hawks in Exchange For John Collins

'Trader Danny' Ange strikes again for the Utah Jazz.

The rumors of Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins being traded to the Utah Jazz have finally come to fruition. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Collins is coming to Salt Lake City in exchange for 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," Wojnarowski tweeted Monday. 

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

Collins has been a name tied to Utah since last summer. The 6-foot-10 forward is coming off a season averaging 13.1 and 6.5 rebounds per game. It’s an interesting pickup considering the Jazz just drafted a power forward in Taylor Hendricks with the No. 9 overall pick of the NBA draft.

With the added depth, Utah will be able to ease Hendricks into the rotation while also filling a hole when Kelly Olynyk is most likely playing for another franchise next year.

The transaction also means Jazz fans will be saying goodbye to Gay. The Jazz get out of a situation of potentially buying Gay’s contract out or releasing him before the start of the year.

The move is also a sign that Utah is starting to play for keeps, and tanking should be a thing of the past. 

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