In a season intended to have everything go as badly as possible, the Utah Jazz have had plenty of pleasant surprises along the way in this still pretty young season. Chief among them is the resurgence of John Collins.
Not too long after Zach Lowe said that Collins' contract had no trade value, he's played so well that, at points, he has been considered to be the Jazz's best player. It's fair to say that Collins' value has been resurrected to the point that the Jazz may not have to part ways with any assets if they want to trade him.
Collins' name has popped up in plenty of trade rumors. It might be asking too much to ask an asset out of him, but that might be enough incentive to trade him while they can. It's also tough because he's played well enough that some don't want to see him traded, but this could very well turn out to be a "strike while the iron is hot" situation.
There are plenty of teams out there who want productive players and don't want to sacrifice much to get them. Collins would take a sizable chunk out of the payroll, but his performance has been exemplary to the point where it'd be hard to see a contender not take that chance as long as it only costs them matching salaries.
One team that fits that bill is the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks are coming off a surprise finals run, and they're hellbent on proving that last year wasn't lightning in a bottle. They have the salaries to match a trade for Collins. If Utah only wants manageable salaries back in exchange for him, the following trade could work with Dallas.
Mavericks get: Collins
Jazz get: Daniel Gafford, Maxi Kleber
Gafford makes $13.3 million this season, while Kleber makes $11 million. Neither is as good as Collins, but their contracts are much cheaper and can be rerouted elsewhere. The Jazz might not get draft capital, but they have enough of that, and if trading Collins away is what they want more than anything, this is probably the best they could hope for.
For the Mavericks, Collins is an upgrade and has proven how well he works with one of the league's best playmakers back when he played with Trae Young. Because he's looked more like his old self, he'd look awesome next to Luka Doncic. On paper, at least.
Part of why the Celtics embarrassed the Mavericks in the NBA Finals was how badly the Celtics' bigs embarrassed them on that front. Collins would level the playing field a bit if they were to meet again because he can play the 4/5 and spell Dereck Lively better than Gafford or Kleber.
He's not a rim protector, but he's a dual lob threat and floor-spacer capable of creating his own shot that the Mavericks could use in their frontcourt. Collins would fit well enough on the team that it might be in question as to whether the Jazz wouldn't want a first-rounder too.
Whether the Jazz want draft assets would affect a Collins trade
Around this time literally two months ago, any potential trade partner would laughed the Jazz out of the room if they ever proposed trading John Collins for a first-rounder. He's flipped the script on himself since then, and the real question is, to what extent?
If they want a first-rounder on top of matching salaries, that might be a tall ask because, despite his return to form, he still makes $26.5 million and makes the same amount next season (if he opts in). His hefty fee on the payroll is why he can be had for not much,
The Mavericks don't have many first-round picks to offer, which is why they'd be perfect as trade partners for Collins if the Jazz don't care for draft capital in a trade like this. Danny Ainge drives a hard bargain, but he might settle for letting a team like the Mavericks get Collins for a bargain as long as it doesn't cost anything else.