The LA Clippers are putting themselves in a position to lose one of their most reliable contributors. According to Keith Smith of ‘Spotrac,’ John Collins is likely going to find a new home over the summer, as an unrestricted free agent, unless a short-term deal, in the ballpark of the non-taxpayer MLE amount, is agreed upon by his party.
It makes sense for the Clippers; they would have no serious obligation to the 28-year-old on a team-friendly contract. What’s not to like? But, for Collins himself, he’s better off elsewhere. Why would he stick around on a contract that’s a significant pay cut from what he’s currently earning, after playing well in his first season in LA, and on top of that, does not offer job security that’s a must in this day and age?
Though Clipper Nation certainly wants him around, no one would be upset at him for choosing himself. You can’t really blame a player like Collins for walking away when there’s not much in it for him in terms of re-signing.
It’s in John Collins’ best interest to find a home on another team
John Collins arguably just had one of the best seasons of his career, and it was for the LA Clippers. Sure, his points were down, at 13.6, and so were his rebounds, at 5.3, but he shot the best three-point percentage(40.6%) since entering the league, was extremely efficient from the field(55.2%), and above all, remained healthy(69 games played), which was a concern following the Norman Powell trade.
Those are excellent numbers for someone who averaged just 27.1 minutes and had his spot in the rotation moved around multiple times throughout the year.
As a result, in the free agent market, Collins deserves to get paid. He just finished off the five-year, $125 million extension that was signed with the Atlanta Hawks, and though the same type of money may not be there for him, somewhere in that range is fair.
However, the amount the Clippers reportedly have in mind(non-taxpayer MLE) is around $15.1 million. That's a significant drop in salary, and honestly, something most players would never be okay with.
Therefore, barring any changes, Collins should go into free agency with a number and term set in mind and strive to obtain just that, or as close as he can possibly get to it.
This is only fair, as he’s one of the best role-playing forwards in basketball.
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