Ranking John Collins’ top 5 trade destinations as the Clippers try to right a wrong

The Los Angeles Clippers‘ acquisition John Collins exploded in their faces very miserably. Collins was coming off a stellar 2024-25 season with the Utah Jazz, starring on one of the worst teams in the league. Many believed he was too good for the Jazz to sit out the final few games last season, and they may have been right, as he averaged 19.0 points on 53/40/85 shooting. But he hasn’t come close to that level of production this season, and The Clippers look like such duds in trading Norman Powell far for him.

At the time of this writing, Collins is averaging 12 points and five rebounds per game in 50/30/80 splits. That’s not nearly enough for a Clippers team that needs more amid internal turmoil (as evidenced by their shocking move to release Chris Paul), injury troubles (Bradley Beal is out for the season and Kawhi Leonard missed time due to ankle and foot problems) and general underperformance (their defense this season is dismal).

Collins is in final year of his contract, so he would at least give the Clippers some relief when his contract expires next year. But given who the Clippers lost to bring him in, they might be better off using him as a trade to find someone more suited to contribute as LA tries to salvage its 6-16 season heading into their Friday night matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies.

To that end, here are five teams that could benefit from the Clippers calling up Collins.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Bucks are currently in a difficult situation, with Giannis Antetokounmpo will miss the next few weeks with a lower leg injury. Antetokounmpo is also reportedly unhappy with his situation with the Bucks, as their team is nowhere near championship caliber, if their performance without Giannis is any indication.

Antetokounmpo may be on his way out, but the Bucks aren’t just going to give up their franchise GOAT without a fight. Their decision to waive Damian Lillard so they could sign Myles Turner reportedly didn’t sit well with Giannis, but it was at least indicative of Milwaukee’s focus on trying to build the best possible team around the 2021 NBA Finals MVP.

Collins is not a transformative piece by any means. He’s a bounce-back candidate at best, someone who could likely thrive in a spaced-out frontcourt with Turner as a partner. But will Clippers see Kyle Kuzma as a reasonable return for Collins?

4. Dallas Mavericks

One would think the last thing the Mavericks would want right now is to land another big man. Collins is a nominal power forward who could only make Dallas’ crowded frontcourt even more congested. But he’s a bargain-basement candidate who can be had for so little right now that it won’t take much for the Mavs to acquire him.

The Mavericks also face significant injury problems in the frontcourt anyway. PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II are out with injuries right now, which could open up an opportunity for Collins to be a significant contributor to this Mavs team, even just this season.

If nothing else, Collins would provide relief for the Mavs as his contract expires. They could trade Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin and Dante Ekum for Collins and Cam Christie (uniting the Christie brothers in Dallas); Thompson and Martin’s contracts run through 2027 and 2028, respectively.

3. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been terrible since their 5-0 start (they’ve gone 4-12 since then). Now they may not be able to make a trade that would at least get them to the playoffs. The search for Anthony Davis would require them to give up so much, and at this point they are so far out of contention that it may not be worth the risk.

They also start Julian Phillips at forward, which suggests they have a gaping hole at the position. Patrick Williams has been solid for long stretches this year, but it’s so indicative of how little faith the Bulls have in him that they instead forced Phillips into the starting lineup due to Kobe White’s injury.

Collins won’t change the course of the Bulls’ season. But at least he gives this roster a greater sense of balance. A trade package that includes Zach Collins and possibly Ayo Dosunmu should be more than enough for the Clippers to trade Collins to the Windy City.

2. Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets need a change. Even Kon Knuepel, who just arrived in the team this year calling out their efforts. And it may be time for Charlotte to cut Myles Bridges, who has gone through plenty of off-the-court issues during his time with the franchise.

For what it’s worth, The Clippers have expressed interest in a trade for Bridges in the past. They were reportedly looking for a way to acquire Bridges in 2024 despite their dire situation. Bridges, of course, re-signed with the Hornets.

Trading Collins in the package for Bridges could be helpful for LA considering Bridges is more of a floor and off-the-dribble shooter than Collins ever was. The Hornets will also get a reliever next season and give more of the ball to Knuepel, LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

The Clippers will have to add something, but not much, to acquire Bridges.

1. Sacramento Kings

There is so much dysfunction going on in the West Bank right now, and no fan should look any further than the Kings. They’ve been one of the most dysfunctional organizations in professional sports history, though they’ve changed ownership, continued to make puzzling moves in recent years, and squandered what was such an exciting time for the franchise.

When the Kings traded De’Aaron Fox, their priority was getting Zach LaVine so they could stay semi-competitive instead of going all-in on the draft. With Fox gone, the front office then wanted a true point guard to replace him, deeming Malik Monk not good enough. The monk was trolled all summer, and no one was bitten. Even with that, they still decided to sign Dennis Schroeder to a three-year deal.

Now Russell Westbrook, a future Hall of Famer, has sat unsigned in free agency all summer. When it got closer to the start of the new season and Westbrook was still without a home, Sacramento stepped up and brought him in – even though they had already signed Schroeder.

The Kings now had Westbrook and Schroeder on a roster that already featured Keon Ellis, Monk and Devin Carter — all guards. Just to complicate matters further, they drafted another player in need of point guard minutes in Nick Clifford, a supposedly NBA-ready senior rookie who is averaging just over three points per game on 34 percent shooting from the field.

Playing point guard musical chairs, the Kings neglected their frontcourt in the process. Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks make up the center rotation. Keegan Murray was not supposed to start the season. Dario Šarić is washing himself. Makime Raynaud is raw. It’s no coincidence that this Kings team plays one of the worst defenses in the league, as their center rotation behind Sabonis might be the worst in the NBA.

Collins will not be the savior of this team. But at least he’s legitimately talented and could provide some really good basketball for a Kings team that desperately needs those things.