The Atlanta Hawks have traded John Collins to the Utah Jazz. The forward was the Hawks’ longest-serving player but is now finding a new home in Salt Lake City.
As Adrian Wojnarowski (ESPN) reports, the Jazz are giving up Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick in return. For the deal to work, Gay (36) withdraws his $6.4 million player option. The trade saves the Hawks nearly $20 million and is now back under the luxury tax limit.
Collins signed a five-year, $125 million contract in 2021, always remaining in the shadow of Trae Young and, in the preseason, Dejounte Murray as well. The 25-year-old will pocket $25.3 million in the coming season, and the Utah Jazz are now paying this salary.
Utah had been looking for a forward for days and, according to information from Marc Stein (Substack), should have been on Kristaps Porzingis before he traded from the Washington Wizards to the Boston Celtics. Collins will now form the frontcourt of jazz with Most Improved Player Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler.
Contrary to expectations, they had only just missed the playoffs in the previous season. The Hawks, on the other hand, could not satisfy their own claims. With a record of 41-41, Atlanta finished the regular season in eighth place and lost in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics (2-4).
Collins also played a disappointing round. With an average of 13.1 points and 6.5 rebounds, the forward posted weaker numbers than most recently in his 2017/18 rookie season.
John Collins to Utah: The Trade in Brief
Get JazzHawks GetJohn Collinsfuture second-round pick Rudy Gay
2023-06-27 04:01:39
#Atlanta #Hawks #send #John #Collins #Utah #Jazz
