27-Year-Old Power Forward Opts Into Player Option with the Jazz

For the past few seasons, the Utah Jazz have been struggling to make it back into the playoff hunt. With no big-name stars and a group of young talent, this team has experienced some challenging times over the last few years, particularly this past season, when the Jazz finished with the worst record in the NBA at 17-65. Even with finishing with the worst record this season, the team received the fifth overall pick during the 2025 NBA Draft. Utah even had its share of injuries this past season. 27-year-old John Collins played in just 40 games this season, and yet he was extremely impactful for this team when he was on the court. After a disappointing and injury-filled season, Collins entered free agency. Now, it has been reported by Shams Charania that Collins has opted into his $26.5 million contract with the Utah Jazz. 

Collins was selected by the Atlanta Hawks as the 19th overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft. While he averaged 10 points and seven rebounds during his rookie season, in his sophomore season, the 27-year-old power forward put up nearly 20 points and 10 rebounds a night. Collins struggled with injuries the following three seasons, playing in 41, 63, and 54 games. In his final season with the Hawks, he played in 71 games yet just averaged 13 points a game in 30 minutes a night. Collins was traded to his hometown team the Utah Jazz, in exchange for Rudy Gay and a future second-round pick. Since arriving in Utah, he’s averaged about 17 points and eight rebounds over the past two seasons. 

This past season, he played in 40 games, starting in 31 of them. In 31 minutes a night, Collins averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block a game. During the final four games of the NBA season, the 27-year-old power forward recorded more than 20 points. In a 117-116 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves, Collins put up 29 points along with 12 rebounds. The Jazz know what they have in the athletic big man and he looks to remain a fixture on the team during the prime of his career.