There's been so much John Collins speculation for a while now that it's gone completely under the radar that for the Utah Jazz to do anything with him, he has to opt in to his contract for next season first. Well, Collins finally did so, and it's quite striking, knowing the timing with the NBA Draft tonight and all.
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
This was a pretty obvious decision for Collins to make because there wasn't much available money this offseason anyway. If there was, many would be criticizing the Jazz for not trading Collins when they had the chance.
So now, any scenarios involving Collins anywhere are now legitimately on the table with him opting in for next season. Now that he has, with the NBA Draft being tonight, that feels a little suspect because it could signal that Utah will trade him on Draft Night.
How Utah would do it is anyone's guess. Teams don't exactly exactly salivate at the chance of acquiring a big expiring contract because of the flight risk involved. However, some teams may salivate at the chance of getting rid of expensive long-term salary and may be more than happy to make a trade when draft capital is involved.
Draft Night is expected to have plenty of pandemonium, and the Jazz could be at the center of it. Not just because they have veterans like Collins, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson available to acquire, but also because they have four picks they could use in trade negotiations.
Utah likely won't get the chance to move up - plus in their case, they don't need to - but there is another opportunity at hand that they can now use Collins to take full advantage of.
Utah could use Collins to move up in the draft with other picks
It might be out of the question for the Jazz to get another lottery pick, though never say never, but it isn't too late for them to get another mid first-round pick. Luckily, there are multiple teams drafting around the middle of the round looking for more upfront help, and the Jazz could help with that by sending Collins.
Collins had a much better second season with the Jazz. After being considered among the NBA's worst albatross contracts coming into the 2024-25 season, he turned his value around so swiftly that Utah had a deal in place to send him to Sacramento at the deadline.
Even if he is a flight risk, Collins is still good enough for a solid team to take a flyer on him to see if he can raise their ceiling higher. If it weren't for the Jazz embracing their youth with each passing move, Collins would likely be seen as a long-term fixture with Utah.
It's right for both sides to part ways with no hard feelings involved. Even if this wasn't what Utah would have wanted when they acquired Collins, they now have the chance to get a diamond in the rough in the draft by using him.