The Utah Jazz, after an offseason dominated by talks of tanking after they dealt franchise cornerstones Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, have shocked the entire NBA world by going 12-7, good for 2nd in the Western Conference in the early goings of the 2022-23 season. While many thought that it would take a lengthy rebuild for the Jazz to return to their contending ways, their hot start may have convinced the front office to capitalize on what appears to be a solid enough core.
Over the past week, it was reported that the Jazz were interested in Atlanta Hawks big man John Collins, the 25-year old power forward who's ever the subject of trade rumors. However, according to Yahoo! Sports' Jake Fischer, the Hawks, while interested in dealing away Collins, were only interested in doing so if they were to acquire Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen in return, making an agreement between the two parties unlikely.
“The Jazz’s interest in Hawks forward John Collins is real, league sources said, and would seem to indicate Utah considering how to add to this winning unit rather than subtract from it. Right now, the likelihood of Collins landing in Salt Lake City, though, seems low. Atlanta approached the Jazz about swapping Collins for Markkanen, sources said, which did not generate any traction,” Fischer wrote.
Fischer also added that perhaps the Hawks and Jazz could revisit a potential John Collins trade centered on Mike Conley as the main piece going back to Atlanta, although that seems unlikely as well given the presence of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray – two bonafide point guards – on the Hawks roster.
At the end of the day, it'd be daft for the Jazz to sell high on Lauri Markkanen, given the improvements he's shown that could, perhaps, even make him deserving of an All-Star nod. Through 19 games, The Finnisher has averaged 22.4 points and 8.5 rebounds, pulling his weight as the Jazz' first option alongside Jordan Clarkson. Meanwhile, Collins has been extremely marginalized within the Hawks' offense, leading to his worst numbers since his rookie year.
While it only seems like a matter of when, not if, before John Collins gets dealt, the Hawks and Jazz may not be ideal trade partners, given where they are in terms of assets and need.
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