Heading into this offseason, it'll be decision time for John Collins.
The veteran big man is sitting on a $26.5 million player option with the chance to accept the deal and ink his name on the Jazz roster for at least one more season. Even after a brutal 17-win season, Collins has still shown a willingness to remain onboard the roster through the ups and downs, and could stamp his name down for another season for the 2025-26 campaign.
Or perhaps the Jazz and Collins could go a different direction–– possibly ironing out a long-term, multi-year extension to keep this pairing together for the foreseeable future rather than just next season.
It might not be a scenario too far out of the realm of possibilities, and if you ask Collins himself, he seems to be onboard with an extension if the Jazz front office wants to hammer one out.
"Do I prefer it? Sure. But, it's whatever makes the most sense is sort of how I feel," Collins said of a potential extension. "I don't really feel any indifference between having to do either or. I understand it's a business, and sometimes, stuff happens. I just have to be prepared to do my job."
After an impressive season in Utah while he was on the floor, it could make sense for the Jazz to get a long-term deal done early if the front office planned on keeping him around past next season.
Looking at Collins' production from last season, it was some of the best of his career. In 40 games, he logged 19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per night while shooting 52.7% from the field. If the contract numbers are right, it'd be hard for the Jazz not to take an extensive look at re-signing him even this offseason.
If not this summer, the Jazz could instead take the risk of letting Collins play out on an expiring deal, then hitting the free agent market come next offseason.
For Collins, that direction of free agency is probably far from option A on his list of possibilities. But, even with that extra bit of added uncertainty, he's still not too worried about what's soon to come for his NBA future.
"Worried? No... Not necessarily worried. But, sure: am I anxious to figure out my future? Damn right!" Collins said. "But, nervous? Not necessarily. I trust in myself, in my game, and what I've shown, not only as a basketball player, but as a person in that sense. So, again, just trying to be patient and not overthink it too much. But, definitely some anxiousness, eager, ready to get it done with and move on to the next step."
Collins' situation will be one of many interesting ones to watch on Utah's roster. But, one thing remains clear, and that's that the veteran looks bought in and ready to cement himself as a part of this group for the coming years. Time will tell if the Jazz brass matches that same feeling.
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