John Collins Gets Fresh Fantasy Start After Trade to Clippers

John Collins move to the Jazz from the Hawks in 2023-24 was not the most ideal situation for him from a fantasy basketball standpoint.

The Jazz are a slowly rebuilding franchise, and Collins was, at times, a round peg in a square hole on their roster.

Fortunately for Collins, he gets a fresh start after being traded to the Clippers via a three-team deal .

Norman Powell is bound for the Heat, while the Jazz get Kevin Love , Kyle Anderson , and a 2027 second-round pick from the Clippers.

Fantasy Basketball John Collins Gets Fresh Start After Trade to Clippers Collins played 68 games for the Clippers in 2023-24 and averaged 15.1 points and 8.5 in 28 minutes per game.

He had averaged 30 minutes in his final two seasons on the Hawks.

Despite logging just 40 games in 2024-25, Collins saw an improvement across the board in his production.

He delivered 19.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 1.5 triples, 1.0 steals, and 1.0 blocks on 52.7% FG.

He saw his minutes rise to 30.5 per game.

It was not all roses and pop tarts for the forward, however, as he came off the bench at times.

He also dealt with a nagging back injury, which first surfaced in February 2025 and bothered him again in March.

All told, it was a good season for Collins in fantasy basketball as he finished 30th overall in 9-category scoring leagues based on per-game value.

Ultimately, the Jazz have continued to focus on their younger players.

Walker Kessler is an elite shot blocker but his deficiencies on offense have limited his playing time.

Collins may have started ahead of him in many games, but the Auburn product saw 30 minutes a night.

Its difficult to argue against giving a big man who averaged 11.1 points, 12.2 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game.

It might feel like a million years ago now, but Collins once finished a season as a top-10 asset in fantasy basketball.

That was way back 2in 019-20.

Collins is just 27 years old and still has some prime years left in the tank.

The Clippers have historically struggled matching up with teams that have dominant big men.

Collins, though not a notable defender, has the mobility to serve as a decent help defender.

John Collins Fit With The Clippers Now that Collins is with the Clippers, a team that sees itself as a contender in the Western Conference, there should be no reason for him to see fewer than 30 minutes a night.

He should pair well with James Harden , serving as both a lob threat and a pick-and-roll partner.

Its a role Collins is no stranger to.

He and Trae Young had a similar on-court rapport during his time in Atlanta.

Collins is going to be the third scoring option in L.A., behind Kawhi Leonard and Harden.

But he should get his looks and be able to play a game where he can thrive statistically.

Its safe to consider the top 30 as a floor value for Collins as he enters the 2025-26 season.

He should flirt with top-20 value every so often, but given the talent landscape of the league, its unlikely he will return to his top-10 form of old.

His 2023-24 season mostly flew under the radar, so he can safely be targeted closer to the top 40 range to squeeze out some profit.

Norman Powell Will Spice Up the Heat Kawhi Leonard missed the start of the 2024-25 season while dealing with knee inflammation.

Fortunately for the Clippers, Norman Powell slid into the starting lineup and began to produce at a high level .

He provided the Clippers with some complementary scoring and much-needed 3-point shooting.

Powell finished the season just inside the top 80 in 9-cat per-game value.

He saw his numbers take a big hit when Leonard was finally able to take to the floor.

Powell finds himself in a good landing spot in Miami.

Hes a Heat Culture kind of guy as he plays good defense and team basketball.

Hes not a hot name in fantasy basketball, so getting him close to or just outside the top-120 range in drafts should be pretty easy.

He will unlikely replicate his 2024-25 averages of 21.8 points and 3.0 triples a night over in Miami.

But hes one of the rare 3-and-D guys who produces 3-pointers while not risking a fantasy teams FG%.

He shot 48.4% from the field last season, and thats with an increase in shot volume.

Hes a role player, and that should make him an easy slot-in alongside the likes of Tyler Herro , Bam Adebayo , and Kelel Ware .

The Others Unfortunately, Kevin Love is not someone who can be targeted in fantasy basketball.

The veteran forward played 23 games for the Heat in 2025-26.

He averaged 10.9 minutes per game.

Kyle Anderson is someone who will likely be moved by the Jazz.

Where he lands will determine his fantasy outlook.

That said, hes not likely going to be a pop guy, so he can be left undrafted in fantasy leagues.

* Fantasy Basketball rankings are taken from Hashtagbasketball.com .

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