According to multiple reports, John Collins has exercised his player option on his contract.
Utah Jazz big man John Collins has exercised his $26.5 million player option for the 2025-26 season, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/AVzRIjrcx7
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 25, 2025
The option is for $26.5 M, and it’s not surprising that Collins would opt in for that amount. I’m sure his management looked at all their options and considered potential deals that might be available, but it’s not a robust market for teams with cap space.
That said, the Utah Jazz forward quietly had the best year of his career, and you could argue that he was the best player on the Jazz this season. Collins had a near 50/40/90 season and was at those numbers for a lot of the season. He was so good that Utah had to rest him multiple times to make sure they lost games.
Now that he’s opted into his contract, which has long been looked at as too large, it becomes more valuable because it’s expiring. There is a lot of value for a player of his caliber who could play for a contender and also provide cap relief. Utah is likely looking for trade partners, and this makes things more likely. It’s also interesting that this happens right before the draft. Could it mean he gets moved?