The Atlanta Hawks have traded John Collins to the Utah Jazz. The value for the Big Man is extremely small, but the Collins deal won’t be the last trade this offseason that looks so one-sided on paper. The reason is the new collective agreement, which is to come into force on July 1st.
It actually happened. After more than three years of trade rumours, the Hawks have (finally) parted ways with John Collins. The equivalent is somewhat shocking. A future second-round pick plus the leftovers of Rudy Gay (36). That’s little to say the least, but it could also be the start of a series of such trades that will follow in the coming days, weeks or months.
The penalties that a (too) high payroll entails are too drastic, even if the NBA and the players’ union have still not signed a new contract. The Collins trade is another example of how teams will operate in the years to come when a championship is not within reach and the roster is expensive.
John Collins to Utah: The Trade in Brief
Get JazzHawks GetJohn Collinsfuture second-round pick Rudy Gay
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This is now the third deal in this pattern within a few days. The Warriors unloaded Jordan Poole’s contract in Washington, Dallas ditched Davis Bertans on draft day (and traded his 10th for the 12th pick), now it was the Hawks who passed a big deal to a team which had sufficient financial leeway. Collins’ five-year contract worth a total of $125 million runs until 2026, now the Jazz will pay him.
It can now be argued that this is stingy of the Hawks, but at the same time it is also necessary given the penalties for hitting the second apron as early as Summer 2023. Accordingly, teams can no longer use the mini-midlevel exception and only take 110 percent of salaries in trades instead of the usual 125 percent.
In 2024 things will get even hairier. Then teams above the second luxury tax limit cannot borrow more money than they give and are not allowed to trade a first-round pick for seven years. In addition, of course, there are the usual penalties for reaching the luxury tax itself. All of this contributes to the fact that we have not seen the last (unilateral) deal of this kind in the Collins case. It’s no longer just a matter of money, but also of roster building.
NBA: These teams face the luxury tax
TeamÜber LuxussteuergrenzeUnter “Second Apron”Boston Celtics8,2 Mio.7,3 Mio.Denver Nuggets1 Mio.16 Mio.Golden State Warriors19,5 Mio.-13 Mio.LA Clippers39 Mio.-22 Mio.Miami Heat12 Mio.3,3 Mio.New Orleans Pelicans-2.8 Mio.20 Mio.Phoenix Suns10 Mio.7.5 Mio.
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NBA: Why Atlanta sold off Collins
And the Hawks are in a way a prime example of the consequences of the new collective agreement. Atlanta was expensive and well on the luxury tax (nearly 10 million), at the same time they were not a team that could calculate serious title chances. So it’s only logical that the Hawks wanted to get rid of a heavy earner like Collins, who also played a disappointing season.
Now the Hawks have just under $20 million to fill their roster and stay under the luxury tax limit. Actually not a bad deal, but what resonates with Collins is that Atlanta has been trying to trade the forward for years and is now receiving extremely mediocre value.
Nevertheless, the Hawks benefit to a certain extent from the new CBA. Because: In contrast to previous years, each team has to use at least 90 percent of its capspace – and that at the beginning of the season. Otherwise the capspace disappears and teams are not involved in the distribution of the luxury tax payments. In this way, the league also puts pressure on teams at the other end of the spectrum to spend.
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Utah was one such team with capspace and has now used up almost all of its capspace with the Collins deal, as did the Thunder with Bertans. The losers in this matter are the current free agents, since two possible destinations, Utah and OKC, have already used their money for trades and these are no longer available as options.
In the past, Atlanta might have had to pay a pick itself to get rid of such a contract, in the new environment the so-called “salary dumps” might be easier to carry out.
NBA: These teams still have capspace
Teamgeschätzter CapspaceHouston Rockets60 Mio.San Antonio Spurs37 Mio.Indiana Pacers32 Mio.Detroit Pistons28 Mio.Orlando Magic23 Mio.Oklahoma City Thunder16 Mio.
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NBA: Hawks can get over Collins departure
From a sporting point of view, Collins’ departure for Atlanta should also be bearable. Since the arrival of Clint Capela, Collins has eked out a shadowy existence as the 25-year-old was demoted to a floor spacer. In the early years of his career, Collins was still Trae Young’s preferred pick ‘n’ roll partner, which was hardly possible with non-shooter Capela.
In 2022/23 Collins was used less than ever (usage rate of only 17 percent), and his throw was worse than ever. New coach Quin Snyder put Collins on the bench several times in the fourth quarter and chose smaller lineups instead, with De’Andre Hunter and Saddiq Bey the Hawks have solid solutions here and with Jalen Johnson a similar type of player to Collins, but who is significantly cheaper.
A change of scenery shouldn’t be a bad thing for Collins either. As he himself admitted in February, the rumors gnawed at the forward: “It’s never my first thought, but certainly in the subconscious. I don’t think of that in the game, but I’m still just a human being.”
Atlanta Hawks roster at a glance
PGSGSFPFCTrae YoungDejounte MurraySaddiq BeyDe’Andre HunterClint CapelaKobe BufkinBogdan BogdanovicA.J. GrffinJalen JohnsonOnyeka OkongwuVit KrejciGarrison MathewsTyrese MartinRudy GayBruno Fernando
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NBA: New chance for Collins in Utah
Collins’ poor shooting can also be traced back to an injury from 2022 after the forward injured his ring finger and was slow to heal. Over his career, it’s almost 36 percent from downtown, significantly better than the 29 percent from the previous season. Collins should get more opportunities in Utah’s system, also because the Jazz don’t have ball-dominant guards like Trae Young or Dejounte Murray.
In general, the backcourt remains a single question mark. With Keyonte George a guard was drawn in 16th position, Jordan Clarkson and Talen Horton-Tucker have player options, behind them it is already getting pretty thin as far as pointers are concerned. However, Utah is in no hurry, thanks to the trades of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the pick box is packed full of picks, until 2029 the Jazz will hold a whopping 13 first-round picks.
Utah Jazz: The roster at a glance
PGSGSFPFCTalen Horton-Tucker *Jordan Clarkson *Lauri MarkkanenJohn CollinsWalker KesslerCollin SextonOchai AgbajiBrice Sensabaugh **Taylor Hendricks **Kelly OlynykKris DunnKeyonte George **Simone Fontecchio-Damian Jones
* Keeps player option, ** Rookie
2023-06-27 09:29:23
#Analysis #John #Collins #trade #expect #onesided #deals
