The Utah Jazz have acquired forward/center John Collins from the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for forward Rudy Gay and a future second-round draft pick.
Collins (6-9, 235, Wake Forest) is entering his seventh NBA season after having spent six seasons with Atlanta, appearing in 364 games (313 starts) with career averages of 15.8 points on 55.1 percent from the field, along with 8.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 blocks in 29.2 minutes per game. Collins has recorded 108 double-doubles, which ranks 19th in Hawks history and his 58 games with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds are tied for the 14th most in Atlanta history. Picked with the 19th overall pick in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft by the Hawks, the 25-year-old was named to the 2017-18 All-Rookie Second Team following his first professional season.
A native of West Palm Beach, Fla., Collins was born in Layton, Utah. After attending Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, he had a two-year collegiate career at Wake Forest (2015-17), where as a sophomore, he averaged 19.2 points on 62.2 percent from the field, 9.8 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 33 games, being named to the 2016-17 All-ACC First Team and the ACC’s 2016-17 Most Improved Player.
Collins will wear no. 20 for Utah.
Gay (6-8, 240, Connecticut) saw action in 111 games (one start) with Utah, owning averages of 6.7 points, 3.6 boards, and 1.0 assists in 16.7 minutes per contest.