After being on the trading block since the day he entered the NBA — or so it felt — power forward John Collins was finally traded Monday in a deal that sent him from the Atlanta Hawks to the Utah Jazz.
The trade ends an era in Atlanta, while likely marking where the franchise intends to move next with Trae Young as its primary star. Meanwhile, the plot to rebuild Utah only escalates as Danny Aing continues to amaze an arsenal of big men.
Here’s the full trade, reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski:
As far as NBA trades go, this is pretty straightforward. Jazz gets Collins. The Hawks get Rudy Gay and a second round draft pick. Very few complications there.
How did the Utah Jazz and Atlanta Hawks fare in the trade that sent John Collins to Salt Lake City for Rudy Gay and a draft pick?
Then again, there is always more to the NBA than meets the eye. Teams are always fighting to improve their capital project or free up salary cap space, especially at a time when a new collective bargaining agreement makes it difficult for owners to keep a lot of money on the books.
This offseason has been really busy in the commercial market. Chris Paul moved from Phoenix to Washington to Golden State. Jordan Paul is in Washington. Kristaps Porzingis is in Boston, while Marcus Smart is in Memphis. Bradley Bell is leaving for Phoenix. In all likelihood, the Collins deal won’t be the last domino to fall in the trading world.
So how did each team perform in this deal? Let’s take a look, starting in Atlanta.