It’s no secret that the Wizards Front Office is shopping Kyle Kuzma, Malcolm Brogdon, and Jonas Valanciunas. GM Will Dawkins is looking to offload these veterans and maybe more so he can formally start the youth movement in DC and continue to build through the draft. While he would like to get 1st round picks for each of them, that may not be realistic. Kyle Kuzma’s asking price last season was two 1st round picks, but they may not get one due to his dip in production and injury woes. Could taking on a short-term bad contract be the Wizard’s best chance at obtaining a 1st round pick?
The player I want to discuss is John Collins of the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are in a similar situation as the Wizards. A young team with intriguing young players such as Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George, and Taylor Hendricks, John Collins doesn’t fit the long-term vision. Let’s make a deal.
Wizards receive: John Collins and Cav’s/T-Wolves 2025 1st-round pick
Jazz receive: Malcolm Brogdon
The Wizards get another 1st round pick in the 2025 NBA Draft and acquire a player who wouldn’t handcuff the team long-term. John Collins makes $26.5 million this season and has a player option next year for the same amount. He’ll only be 28 so maybe he’ll seek a long-term contract elsewhere but chances are he’ll enact the player option but it won’t hold down the Wizards long-term. Now this trade only makes sense long-term if Kyle Kuzma is moved or a third team enters the mix. You could play Kuz at Small Forward and push Bilal to Shooting Guard. The biggest takeaway is that the Wizards have options, and that’s a good spot to be in.
From the Jazz’s perspective, the trade allows them to get Collin’s contract off the books and they have two 1st round picks in 2025 and both are slated to be late-round picks so I don’t see them having a problem parting with one of them. Brogdon is a Free Agent after the season so there is no long-term commitment for the Jazz. The trade is a win-win.
