John Collins may be joining rising contender after latest intel

The Utah Jazz's trade with the Phoenix Suns the other day clued everyone in on their intentions at the trade deadline: taking advantage of playoff contenders who want to improve their chances of going on a legitimate playoff run.

Granted, that only involved first-round picks, but expect them to have the same mindset when trading the players that many believe they will try to sell off. One of those players is John Collins, who is right in the middle of a resurgent season with the Jazz.

It goes without saying that Utah would be better off without Collins, but that has nothing to do with what he can do on the court or the kind of veteran leader he is. All indications are that he's been a good soldier and he's taken whatever role the Jazz have given him with grace. It's just clear that he's better off with a team trying to win, and that is not the Jazz.

But who could it be? Well, a few teams like the Warriors have checked in on Collins, but there hadn't been many signs revealing where exactly Collins could go. That was until today.

Carmichael Dave, a Sacramento radio personality, may have just hinted where Collins is going.

This would all add up to his next team being the Kings. They were linked to him back in December, though, to be fair, that was back when they were struggling to keep their heads above water. That's not the case now.

The Kings have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since firing Mike Brown, so it would make sense for them to add Collins to the roster now that the playoffs are on the table again. Collins has played well enough that the Jazz can trade him without giving up assets, but perhaps the Jazz could milk one out of Sacto if they played hardball.

Then again, the Kings might be targeting Collins specifically because the Jazz may not want much in return for him besides cap flexibility.

Does the Jazz's injury report indicate a trade is coming?

Collins made his return for the Jazz the other night when they played against Oklahoma City, and he looked about as good as he's been all season - 22 points, 12 rebounds, and six-for-nine shooting, which included two threes.

It now appears Collins is back on the shelf. The Jazz released their injury report, and Collins is back on it. This time, it's for "illness."

This coinciding with the most recent rumor tying Collins to the Kings feels like there's a lot of smoke here. It may not necessarily happen right away, but Collins may be heading to California's capital not too long from now.