Ranking 5 best John Collins trade destinations as Clippers try to fix mistake

The Los Angeles Clippers’ acquisition of John Collins has blown up quite miserably in their faces. Collins was coming off an excellent 2024-25 season with the Utah Jazz, starring in one of the worst teams in the league. Many believed that he was too good for the Jazz that he was forced to sit the final few games of last season, and they may have been right, as he averaged 19.0 points on 53/40/85 shooting splits. But he has come nowhere near that level of production this season, and the Clippers look like such dunces in trading Norman Powell away for him.

At the time of writing, Collins is averaging 12 points and five rebounds per game on 50/30/80 shooting splits. That is nowhere near good enough for a Clippers team that’s needed more amid internal turmoil (as evidenced by their shocking move to cut Chris Paul loose), injury woes (Bradley Beal is out for the season and Kawhi Leonard has missed time with ankle and foot problems), and general underperformance (their defense this season has been dismal).

Collins is in the final year of his contract, so he would at least give the Clippers cap relief once his deal expires next year. But considering who the Clippers lost to bring him in, they might be better off utilizing him as a trade piece to get someone who’s more suited to contributing as LA tries to rescue its season from a 6-16 start heading into their Friday night tussle against the Memphis Grizzlies.

To that end, here are five teams that might find it useful to give the Clippers a call for Collins.

5. Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks are in dire straits at the moment, with Giannis Antetokounmpo set to miss the next few weeks with a calf injury. Antetokounmpo is also reportedly disgruntled with his situation on the Bucks, as their team is nowhere near championship-caliber if their performance sans Giannis is any indication.

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

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

4. Dallas Mavericks

One would think that the last thing the Mavericks would want right now is to get another big man. Collins is a nominal power forward who would only serve to make the crowded Dallas frontcourt that much more clogged. But he is a buy-low candidate who can be had for so little right now that it will not take much for the Mavs to acquire him.

The Mavericks are facing significant injury problems in the frontcourt at the moment as well anyway. PJ Washington and Dereck Lively II are out with injuries at present, which could open up the opportunity for Collins to be a significant contributor for this Mavs team, even for just this season.

If anything, Collins would give the Mavs cap relief, seeing as his contract is expiring. They could trade away the likes of Klay Thompson, Caleb Martin, and Dante Exum for Collins and Cam Christie (uniting the Christie brothers in Dallas); Thompson and Martin’s contracts run until 2027 and 2028, respectively.

3. Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have been terrible since their 5-0 start (they’ve gone 4-12 since). Now, there may not be a trade available to them that gets them over the playoff hump at the very least. Trading for Anthony Davis would require them to give up so much, and at this point, they’re so far away from contention that doing so may not be worth the risk.

They are also starting Julian Phillips at power forward, which suggests that they have a gaping hole at the position. Patrick Williams has been solid for stretches this year, but it’s just so indicative of how little trust the Bulls have in him that they’ve had Phillips move over to the starting lineup instead amid Coby White’s injury.

Collins will not change the course of the Bulls’ season. But he at least gives this roster a greater sense of balance. A trade package involving Zach Collins and maybe Ayo Dosunmu should be more than enough for the Clippers to trade away Collins to the Windy City.

2. Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets need a change. Even Kon Knueppel, who just got to the team this year, is calling out their effort. And it may be time for Charlotte to cut Miles Bridges, who’s gone through many off-court troubles during his time with the franchise.

For what it’s worth, the Clippers have expressed interest in trading for Bridges in the past. In 2024, they were reportedly looking for a way to acquire Bridges despite their dicey cap situation. Bridges, of course, ended up re-signing with the Hornets.

Trading Collins in a package for Bridges could be helpful for LA considering that Bridges is more of a floor-spacer and off-the-dribble scorer than Collins has ever been. The Hornets will also be getting cap relief next season and will be giving more of the ball to Knueppel, LaMelo Ball, and Brandon Miller.

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

1. Sacramento Kings

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

When the Kings traded De’Aaron Fox, they prioritized getting Zach LaVine so they could remain semi-competitive instead of going all-in on draft picks. With Fox gone, the front office then wanted a true point guard to replace him, deeming Malik Monk to be not good enough. They dangled Monk all summer, and nobody bit. So even with that, they still decided to sign Dennis Schroder to a three-year deal.

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

The Kings now had Westbrook and Schroder on a roster that was already employing Keon Ellis, Monk, and Devin Carter — all guards. Just to complicate the matter even further, they drafted another player in need of guard minutes in Nique Clifford, a purportedly NBA-ready older rookie who’s averaging a little over three points per game on 34 percent shooting from the field.

In playing point guard musical chairs, the Kings have neglected their frontcourt in the process. Domantas Sabonis and Drew Eubanks comprise their center rotation. Keegan Murray was out to start the season. Dario Saric is washed. Maxime Raynaud is raw. There is no coincidence that this Kings team is playing some of the worst defense in the league, for their center rotation behind Sabonis might be the worst in the NBA.

Collins is not going to be the savior of this team. But he is at least legitimately talented and could provide some actual good basketball for a Kings team in dire need of those things.

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