Although health has been a team issue in the past, the LA Clippers traded Norman Powell, who was absent in 22 games last season, for John Collins, someone that had a very different level of availability with just 40 games recorded for the Utah Jazz in 2024-25.
Just by looking at these numbers, the Clippers took a massive risk, as it is usually not wise to trade one of the key pieces on a 50-win squad, that should have also been an All-Star, for a player with notable concerns dating all the way back to his third season in the league.
However, Collins’ first preseason as a Clipper has officially been stamped, and all he did was put on a clinic with offensive dominance and defensive potential. Thus, he left the fan base with a remarkable first impression, proving LA’s high-risk trade will likely pay off with a high reward this season.
John Collins has given the Clippers early signs that their offseason trade was worth it
Prior to training camp, fans of the LA Clippers were simply making educated guesses on how John Collins would do on his new team. This was solely based around the guard rotation of James Harden and Chris Paul, as with his skillset, he has a high chance of performing well on a consistent rate.
Then the preseason happened, and Clipper Nation discovered solid proof that shipping Norman Powell for Collins was smart, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
Furthermore, the winner of the trade will truly be decided during the regular season, but the Clippers are in a good spot as of now with the Wake Forest product scoring 48 points in 59 minutes through the first three contests against the Guangzhou Loong Lions, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings.
In the preseason finale, in the Bay, Tyronn Lue only had Collins play nine minutes of action where he went scoreless on four attempts from the field. This seemed to just be an effort from Lue to have the star forward do some in-game cardio, as it will help the season opener go smoothly against his former team.
Additionally, for what it is worth, Collins’ explosive scoring allowed the Clippers to jump out to one of the best preseason records in the league at 3-1.
That said, Powell had a great five-game preseason run with the Miami Heat as well, but in less minutes, the Clippers saw the vision they had of Collins before the trade pan out directly in front of them.