The announcement that fans of the LA Clippers have been hoping to see correlates with John Collins agreeing to an extension, worth a team-friendly amount over an extensive term. However, an appreciated update was provided to Clippers fans by Collins himself: he recently mentioned his preference for LA, which significantly changes the near future.
Asked John Collins if he has expressed a desire to stay with LA Clippers. Collins was under an extend-and-trade restriction for 6 months, but that's up now and he is extension eligible.
— Law Murray 🐐 (@LawMurrayTheNU) January 24, 2026
"I feel like I've done what I can... I want to be in LA, want to be a Clipper" pic.twitter.com/ISsrdxJo4E
This calls for a sigh of relief. Collins likely had high hopes with Chris Paul, was ready to take off with Bradley Beal, and expected the Clippers to be a top seed in the Western Conference.
Yet being a firsthand witness to a meltdown is unfortunate, and, as one would expect, it could have disengaged Collins from the idea of putting pen to paper and signing an extension.
Thus, with Collins showing commitment, the Clippers’ front office should feel similarly, leading to a different route at the trade deadline.
If John Collins stays, reports surface that Brook Lopez is all but gone
At this point, with John Collins giving the LA Clippers the clearance to offer an extension any day now, the final decision lies with Lawrence Frank. Does he retain Collins, or choose the floor-spacing, interior-defending second-unit big man, Brook Lopez?
Law Murray of ‘The Athletic’ reported that a small chance exists of Collins and Lopez being on the Clippers after the trade deadline. Murray believes that one of the two could be exchanged for help in the backcourt.
Furthermore, there could be a better deal on the table, where the Clippers receive a competent guard for Collins, and in this case, the front office should keep the veteran forward, then search for a way to move Lopez for the same, or someone that is a slightly lower caliber defensive-minded floor general.
Collins finally found his groove in LA, since their first win streak was sparked on December 20th. Over this period, he has been the Clippers’ leading shot blocker, most efficient player from the floor, third-leading scorer, and third-leading rebounder.
There is no sense in trading someone performing at this level just to compensate for lost guard production when Chris Paul and Bradley Beal went out.
That said, LA has Jordan Miller to maximize in the backcourt, and Lopez to trade if they are that desperate for a guard. Collins simply needs to be extended, and nothing else. He deserves it, and he directly said he does not want to go anywhere else.