The Utah Jazz had a clear and strong vision when they traded for John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks, sending Rudy Gay to Salt Lake City in the process. This was an extravagant deal that benefited the Jazz, as they landed a developed forward to shine next to Lauri Markkanen.
Production-wise, Collins was perfect in Utah’s system, but because he signed a five-year contract to commit to the Hawks in 2021, the Jazz had multiple seasons to let their core come to light.
They were sold on the idea of Collins being part of their long-term future if the front office drafted the right talent with their lottery picks. He was part of a trio that included Markkanen and Collin Sexton, who could all re-instill hope in the hearts of Jazz fans worldwide.
However, years passed, and the Jazz continued to see the letter ‘E’, for elimination from postseason contention, meaning that the time to start over on an incomplete rebuild was inevitable. This summer, Collins was traded to the Clippers, and Sexton was packaged to the Charlotte Hornets.
Collins, in particular, was arguably the Jazz’s best player this season. Though his trade only returned draft capital and aging veterans, the reason for moving him comes as a massive shock to the NBA community, as reported by a credible NBA insider.
The Utah Jazz moved on from John Collins because he was producing the opposite of what the organization needed
Although he did not reach the 42-game mark, which is half of the regular season, John Collins was still regarded as a standout, with high market value, as he averaged 19 points and 8.2 rebounds, shooting 52.7% from the field and 39.9% from distance.
Moreover, the Jazz did not win much during the 2024-25 regular season, with a total of 17 victories, but 12 of those were won when the Wake Forest product was available. This meant Utah went 5-37 in games he was sidelined.
Having Collins on the court contradicted the front office’s plans in their race to land Cooper Flagg, with the first overall pick, which would have been a generational win, as they would finally have a legitimately promising rookie to build around, their first since Donovan Mitchell.
The Utah Jazz "had to get rid of" John Collins because he was responsible for too many of their wins, per @espn_macmahon on The Hoop Collective.
— APHoops (@APH00PS) July 9, 2025
"He was too damn productive last season. I don't even remember all the injuries they came up with to make sure he didn't play. They… pic.twitter.com/k9UOUbijyK
Yet, according to Tim MacMahon, Collins was shipped because he was ultimately too much of a winning player. This is a great feature to add to the Clippers, as it is confirmed that the six-foot-nine forward was far from the reason why the Jazz had the worst record in the NBA.