The NBA offseason is in full swing, and another shocking trade has rattled a few rosters. ESPN’s Shams Charania was the first to report a three-team trade between the Los Angeles Clippers, Utah Jazz and Miami Heat. For Los Angeles, this involved sending away Norman Powell and a 2027 second-round pick to bring back John Collins and strengthen its frontcourt.
Powell is coming off a career-best season with the Clippers in which he averaged 21.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 41.8% from beyond the three-point arc.
However, he was entering the final year of his five-year, $90 million deal, which started in the 2021-22 season. The 32-year-old is set to be a free agent next summer after he plays out the final season and gets the $20.5 million due on his deal this year. Powell is extension-eligible with his upcoming contract likely to cost the Clippers $50-$60 million in cap space annually based on their financial outlook. This gives the organization a bit more flexibility and the deepest frontcourt it has had in quite some time.
How does John Collins’ Addition Impact the Clippers’ Win Total & Championship Odds?
The Los Angeles Clippers currently hold a team total of 45.5 wins on the season on DraftKings Sportsbook, the same as it was before the trade. They also hold +3000 odds of winning the NBA Championship, tied for the 10th-best odds. They opened the offseason with +4000 odds of winning the NBA Championship, but those had already shifted to +3000 before the trade.
The prize of the trade from Los Angeles’ perspective will be the addition of John Collins. Still 27 years old, Collins has spent the past two years in Utah after playing the first six years with the Atlanta Hawks. For his career, Collins is averaging 16.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game while shooting 36.3% from beyond the three-point arc. The Wake Forest product is coming off a strong season in which he averaged 19.0 points and 8.2 rebounds while shooting 39.9% from beyond the three-point arc.
Collins is a high-flyer who will be another effective lob threat to play alongside James Harden. The Clippers are investing heavily in the frontcourt ahead of this season. Ivica Zubac is coming off a career-best season in which he averaged 16.8 points and 12.6 rebounds while earning All-Defensive second team honors. Los Angeles also signed Brook Lopez to a two-year contract and selected Penn State’s Yanic Konan Niederhauser with the 30th overall pick in the draft.
The Western Conference is extremely competitive, but the Clippers had to be encouraged by Kawhi Leonard looking the healthiest and most available he has been in quite some time during the second half of last season. James Harden also continues to perform at a high level and was rewarded with a two-year extension after earning his 11th All-Star appearance.
One would imagine the Clippers are not quite done retooling yet, with plenty of offseason still to go. Powell was excellent for Los Angeles across his four seasons, but you have to give up talent to get it in return in the NBA. Collins has not contributed to a contender in a few seasons, but this could be just the jolt he was looking for, and time will tell if he is a bigger difference-maker than the DraftKings Sportsbook odds are giving him credit for.
