After previous developments labeling John Collins as a potentially prime trade candidate for the Utah Jazz, a recent shift in team success may have just changed that approach as we get closer to the highly-anticipated deadline.
According to a report from NBA insider Marc Stein’s substack, the talks around a potential trade involving the Jazz offseason acquisition have begun to die down:
It can certainly be argued that Collin Sexton and Kris Dunn have been the more impactful starters than Collins across this season-turning stretch, but the notion Utah is actively trying to move Collins, league sources say, has quieted down some in the wake of the success.
Collins has been a substantial part of the recent success of the Jazz since being slotted into the starting center position. In his 38 games this season, he has averaged 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.0 assists on 50.1/38.0/77.5 splits. His place as a pick-and-roll partner, combined with his offensive versatility, adds some more allure to this frontcourt.
Paired alongside Lauri Markkanen and Simone Fontecchio in the starting five, the Jazz have gone off to win their last six games, along with going 15-4 in their past 19 games. When a team is on such a hot streak like this, it becomes much more difficult to become deadline sellers, despite any previous expectations.
Collins was previously dubbed a trade piece for Utah after the team was “frustrated” with his lack of effort on both ends of the floor. While it may have taken some time to fully adjust to this Jazz system, the recent results are hard to argue against.
The Jazz are now in 9th place within the Western Conference, fully invested in the Play-In race. Instead of making a last-effort attempt to bottom out into the lottery, the focus may shift toward bringing in a piece to help push Utah further into the standings.
Things are always fluid around this time in the NBA, but as the team currently stands, Collins seems to be here to stay. However, do not expect Danny Ainge and the Jazz to remain completely quiet, now standing only a few weeks away from the league cutoff.
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