In the least shocking news of the century, John Collins will stick around with the Utah Jazz for the time being. The Athletic's Tony Jones confirmed as such during an interview with ESPN 700.
"John makes a little too much money. And I don't anticipate the Jazz being able to trade him until the last year of his contract," Jones said.
Collins isn't a bad player. He's a solid floor-stretcher for his size, he isn't too shabby on the boards, he's always a dependable lob threat, and has some offensive finesse. His flaw is that he is a net negative defensively, which is why paying him $53 million over the next two years will make the Jazz grit their teeth.
Luckily, two years isn't too long. As time passes, teams who want a boost may just get that desperate that they just might settle for Collins since his contract will become less of an albatross with each passing day.
It won't be for some time, but there are teams who could definitely consider Collins. That is, if they are virtually out of options.
Milwaukee Bucks - Brook Lopez replacement
The Bucks at one point or another will have to confront the elephant in the room with Brook Lopez. He's on the wrong side of 30, he's not the player he was when they first signed him in 2019, and when his time is up, the Bucks can't simply replace him.
Lopez has been a Godsend for the Bucks because he's a floor spacer who can block shots. Collins is a similar floor spacer for his size, but he is not the rim protector Lopez is. The bottom line is that Collins is not what Lopez is, but he can replace some of what he brings, and he makes the Bucks younger, which they also need.
The Bucks are just barely a second tax apron team, but they could make a trade work with the Jazz where Utah could acquire Pat Connaughton to get them under it. They could then work out a Collins-for-Lopez swap.
The Jazz would not have much use for Lopez, but he can be used either as an asset or to open up more cap flexibility. No matter what, it won't hurt much.
New Orleans Pelicans - They need a center
The Jazz have popped up as a potential Brandon Ingram suitor. Whether they keep him or not, one thing is for sure: they need a center. They traded away Larry Nance Jr., let Jonas Valanciunas walk, and signed Daniel Theis.
They could roll into the season as is, but that is a pretty massive hole that they can't afford to ignore if their serious about a playoff push. Collins wouldn't be the first guy they would think of, but he would be someone who would help them save money if they swapped him for Ingram, and he's better than Theis.
Since the Zion Williamson era started, the Pelicans have very much lacked a floor-spacing big man to pair next to him. Collins could be a game-changer there in a similar vein to how Lopez was for Giannis when he joined the Bucks because he can shoot threes.
New Orleans has always shown flashes in the Zion era but have never quite put it together. Collins may not be the endgame for them, but he is another step forward.
Los Angeles Clippers - They need more depth in their frontcourt
The Clippers' downfall, besides their baffling injury luck with Kawhi Leonard, has been their lack of frontcourt depth. While they will enter the 2024-25 season with plenty of questions, their frontcourt issue has been there from pretty much the beginning of the Leonard era.
Collins gives them another big man they can depend on. The Clippers have an excellent starting big in Ivica Zubac, but have only had competent backup bigs with the likes of Theis and Mason Plumlee in the last year alone. Collins is better than anyone they've ever had.
Sending out the likes of expendable players like PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland, along with Derrick Jones Jr., who plays like Collins, only not quite as springy, could get the job done. Both teams would have to wait until Jones becomes trade eligible, but if they are desperate and don't want to pay up, Collins could be had for cheap.
There are other teams that could certainly use Collins, like the Phoenix Suns. Collins would be an upgrade for Jusuf Nurkic, but the problem is, being a team well over the second tax apron, they can't make that work. Not unless they are willing to make some wholesale changes to the team, which they definitely aren't.
Expect Collins to remain on the Jazz until 2025. However, don't be surprised if there is some genuine interest in acquiring him this coming February. Even if he may not live up to his contract, the value in it goes up each day.