The Atlanta Hawks finally moved forward John Collins after almost a year of continuous trade rumors. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Collins is heading to the Utah Jazz.
The deal will see Hawks receiving veteran forward Rudy Gay and a second-round pick. They will also get a $25.3 million trade exception, which they can use at any point in the next 12 months.
Collins finished the 2022-23 campaign averaging 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, which was the lowest since his rookie season. This and his large contract, which guarantees him $78 million over the course of the next three years, is probably the reason why the Hawks received a lot less for the 25-year-old than they hoped for.
It seems that for the Hawks, it was all about getting some financial flexibility that would allow them to avoid the luxury tax. They can also sign some of their young talented players to extensions more easily when the time comes.
Jazz, on the other hand, gets another exciting player on their young roster. Collins will get to share the frontcourt with All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen and All-Rookie center Walker Kessler and should get more opportunities to be an impactful player than he was in Atlanta.
