The trade season is approaching, and teams are looking to bolster the arms race for the competitive Western Conference.
In one of the late highlight games of the regular season, the Golden State Warriors scored a 123-116 victory over the LA Lakers.
The Lakers continued to secure a third seed, but the Warriors closed the play-in tournament spot after tying a rally to the season from a poor start.
In the playoffs, we learned what both teams wanted. The Lakers were bounced back to five by the Timberwolves in the first round, and the Warriors met the same fate in the conference semi-finals.
The next meeting between the two teams is a few months away, but they will fight in the trade market via the Utah Jazz Star.
New claims show that both the La Lakers and the Golden State Warriors are interested in John Collins of the Utah Jazz.
Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune said he was rocked by the jazz. “The Lakers’ John Collins had a conversation. The Warriors were interested in the trade deadline before they got Jimmy Butler.”
He has questioned whether the Warriors could still trade for Collins in the way their roster is currently being built, but their interest is registered.
Larsen added: “He must have been interested in the league somewhere for him last year.
“But we don’t expect Jazz to regain value in these deals.”
John Collins has the option of playing the Utah Jazz this summer. Because he is in his fifth year of the deal he originally signed with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021.
This option is worth $26.6 million and Sign and Trade is a very possible scenario to unfold for Utah and Collins.
The Lakers’ interest in Jazz Center Walker Kessler has been reported previously, but the move from power forward Collins is more achievable.
The 27-year-old Collins jumps to the opportunity to sign a candidate if it presents itself, and the Jazz is leaning towards continuing to struggle next season.
Last season, Collins played 40 games for the Jazz, averaging 19.0 points per 31 games, with his highest total since the 2019-20 season for the Hawks.
He also averaged 8.2 rebounds per game over this past season.
Interest is expected, and contact his services and look at the Lakers, and perhaps the Warriors.