After years of hearing his name in NBA rumors but never actually getting dealt, John Collins was finally traded from the Hawks on Monday.
Collins was dealt to the Jazz in exchange for NBA veteran Rudy Gay and a future second-round draft pick, per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Collins, a 25-year-old forward who is averaging 15.8 points and 8.0 rebounds per game during his professional career, should provide tremendous value for Utah.
Even though the 6-foot-9 forward was not a part of the future plans for the Hawks, he can help with offensive versatility in the frontcourt for the Jazz next season.
Since entering the league in 2017-18, the forward is one of just four players to record at least 450 dunks as well as more than 300 3-pointers, according to Stathead. The others are just LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Aaron Gordon.
Collins will join 2023 NBA All-Star Lauri Markkanen in the frontcourt. Markkanen and Collins were two of just fourteen players in the league to record at least 70 dunks and 70 3-pointers last season.
Here is the rest of the projected starting lineup for Utah before they begin free agency or complete any further trades:
POINT GUARD: Collin Sexton
BACKUP: Keyonte George
SHOOTING GUARD: Jordan Clarkson
BACKUP: Talen-Horton Tucker
SMALL FORWARD: Lauri Markkanen
BACKUP: Ochai Agbaji
POWER FORWARD: John Collins
BACKUP: Taylor Hendricks
CENTER: Walker Kessler
BACKUP: Kelly Olynyk
