Jazz Have Difficult Decision on John Collins' Future

The Utah Jazz may have to make some tough decisions surrounding John Collins.

Dec 8, 2024; Sacramento, California, USA; Utah Jazz forward John Collins (20) during the third quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The Utah Jazz are tasked with making a difficult decision when it comes to the future of John Collins.

Collins has a $26 million player option for next season that he can exercise before hitting unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2026. The crossroads the Jazz face involves deciding to sign him to an extension or let him play next season on an expiring contract before testing the open market next summer.

Collins is having a productive 2024-2025 campaign averaging 19 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2 assists while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 39.9 percent from beyond the arc. However, he has dealt with a series of injuries that have limited him to a total of 40 games on the season. Collins has proven when healthy, he is a good NBA player who is scheme-dependent.

If his frontcourt running mate Walker Kessler continues to develop his outside shot, Collins will thrive even more in Utah. He is best when he can be a pick-and-roll rim-runner with adequate spacing on the floor but needs to be protected on the defensive end with a defensive-minded center.

Assuming Collins opts to exercise his player option and return to Utah on an expiring contract, he could be a trade candidate once again. Although $26 million is a hefty price to pay for a potential one-year rental if Collins is traded, his trade value was notably high as multiple teams inquired about swinging a deal this season.

Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus lists Collins as a potential target for the Golden State Warriors this summer in a sign-and-trade that would send Jonathan Kuminga to Utah.

“The most significant decision the team has to make this offseason concerns Kuminga, who is expected to be well-compensated as a restricted free agent. The team can keep him depending on his price, which may raise payroll as high as the second apron. Instead, the Warriors could execute a sign-and-trade to get value in return (with a second-apron hard cap),” Pincus wrote.

While Collins is a greater talent than Kuminga at this stage in their careers, a trade for Kuminga would allow the Utah Jazz to develop another young wing that fits smoothly in the organization’s rebuild timeline.

Allowing Collins to play out the final year of his contract without offering him an extension or trading him to another team would prove Utah has its sights set on making a splash during the summer 2026 free agency period. With Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton also on expiring contracts, the Jazz will have the ability to free nearly $60 million next summer.

The Jazz can take many avenues when it comes to the future of Collins, but time will tell which path is the one they should follow.

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