Zach Collins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: J. Collins, Lowry, Z. Collins, Forbes, Celtics, More

July 31st, 2021 at 10:51am CST by Luke Adams

In his latest rumor-packed article for Bleacher Report, Jake Fischer echoes a Marc Stein report from Friday, writing that John Collins is viewed as increasingly likely to return to the Hawks despite anticipated interest from the Mavericks and Spurs, among others.

Collins’ new deal may exceed $120MM in total value, Fischer notes, though it’s not clear if that’d be for four years or five. Collins’ projected maximum with Atlanta is about $126MM over four years (or $163MM over five), whereas his max with a new team would be approximately $121MM over four years.

Here are a few other rumors on 2021 free agents, including several more updates from Fischer:

With the Pelicans, Mavericks, and Heat all expected to make a strong push for Kyle Lowry, the point’s guard ultimate landing spot could come down to which team includes the most guaranteed money in the third year of its offer, says Fischer.
The Raptors, Pelicans, Thunder, and Spurs are among the teams known to have interest in big man Zach Collins, sources tell Fischer. Collins isn’t getting a qualifying offer from Portland, so he’ll be an unrestricted free agent.
The Nets may be the leading candidates to sign free agent sharpshooter Bryn Forbes, according to Fischer, who also names the Bulls, Cavaliers, Mavericks, and Pelicans as teams to watch.
Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald (Twitter link) hears that the Celtics have a list of about seven or eight top free agent targets, including veteran Spurs guard Patty Mills.
Otto Porter‘s representatives have been targeting a mid-level type contract for their client, but that’s probably a long shot unless a front office bids against itself, says J. Michael of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter links). The veteran forward is coming off a four-year, $106MM+ deal.
The Nuggets are expected to add a backup center in free agency, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post, who tweets that a new deal with JaVale McGee is one possibility to address that spot.

Blazers Won’t Give Zach Collins Qualifying Offer

July 15th, 2021 at 5:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers will not extend a $7MM qualifying offer to forward Zach Collins, Jason Quick of The Athletic reports.

That will make Collins an unrestricted free agent next month. The 10th pick in the 2017 draft has only appeared in 11 games the past two seasons due to shoulder, foot and ankle injuries.

Collins learned late last month of a major setback when another fracture was discovered in his left foot. He underwent a second revision surgery to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture and will require another 4-6 month recovery period.

“Obviously with me being a free agent, it makes it tough,” Collins said. “But I’m less concerned about what type of deal I’m going to get, or how many years it’s going to be, or who I’m going to play for … I’m more focused on this rehab and getting this ankle right.”

Projected to be over the cap, the Blazers couldn’t afford to tie up another chunk of money on a player who will likely miss significant time next season.

Agent Mark Bartelstein is still confident he can land a multi-year contract for his client.

“There’s no question he is going to get a deal; he’s an incredible talent,” Bartelstein said. “NBA teams are looking for guys who can protect the rim, switch everything on defense and make 3s. Zach is really a unicorn.”

Collins is still hopeful of remaining with Portland. Bartelstein will hold discussions with Neil Olshey, the team’s president of basketball operations.

“Neil and I talk all the time and we will do what we always do — sit and talk and see if something makes sense,” Bartelstein said. “But they are in a tough spot. They are up against the luxury tax, and there’s a sense of urgency to win now … so there’s a lot to balance. But I know Neil believes deeply in Zach. They know he is going to be good.”

Blazers Notes: Billups, Olshey, Lillard, Nurkic, Collins

June 30th, 2021 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

At the introductory press conference for new Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups on Tuesday, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey confirmed that the team conducted an independent investigation into the 1997 sexual assault allegations against Billups, and came away confident that he hadn’t engaged in any wrongdoing, writes Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian.

Billups, meanwhile, said the ’97 incident had a major impact on him and shaped his decision-making going forward, per Jason Quick of The Athletic.

However, a Blazers PR person shut down further questions to Billups on how exactly the incident shaped him, and Olshey declined to provide any details on the team’s investigation, calling that information “proprietary” and asking reporters and fans to “take us at our word” that the investigation was thorough. As a result, there was no real sense of transparency in the presser, according to John Canzano of The Oregonian.

As Quick notes, Olshey and the franchise are essentially asking for trust and forgiveness for the way the coaching search played out and the decision the team made. While Quick believes Olshey has earned that trust to some extent, he adds that the veteran executive hasn’t made “a bigger ask” during his tenure with the team than this one, and that the clumsy hiring process has “created unrest for Billups, for (Damian) Lillard, and the fanbase.”

Here’s more out of Portland:

During Billups’ introductory presser, Olshey downplayed the idea that Lillard’s frustration with how the 2020/21 season played out will lead to a trade request this offseason. “Dame and I talk all the time,” Olshey said, per Quick. “And Dame’s happiness revolves around winning, and having a chance to win at the highest level. Chauncey is going to inherit that now, but the ultimate responsibility for that falls on me and my staff to put a team together that we can walk into the beginning of the season and think it has a chance to compete for a championship. So the shorter answer is it’s on me to make Dame happy. And the way to make Dame happy is to put the pieces around him to where he feels like he can win a championship.”
Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic said in an interview with a Bosnian outlet that he’d want to leave the team if Lillard is traded. Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian, using a translation tool, has the details on Nurkic’s comments. The big man previously cast some uncertainty on his future in Portland following the team’s postseason elimination.
Yossi Gozlan of HoopsHype takes a look at which teams might be able to put together the strongest trade offers for Lillard should the All-NBA point guard decide he wants out of Portland.
Following a Tuesday report indicating Zach Collins has suffered another injury setback, the Blazers announced in a press release that the big man has undergone a second revision surgery to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture and has been ruled out indefinitely. As we noted yesterday, Collins is eligible for restricted free agency, but seems increasingly unlikely to get a qualifying offer.

Zach Collins Suffers Another Injury Setback

June 29th, 2021 at 2:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins has suffered another health setback, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link), who reports that Collins re-fractured his foot.

Collins missed the entire 2020/21 season after undergoing a pair of surgeries on his left ankle. He originally injured the ankle and went under the knife during the NBA’s bubble restart last summer, then underwent revision surgery in December to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture.

Although Charania’s report doesn’t specify which foot Collins injured, his use of “re-fracture” suggests it’s once again that left foot.

It’s a brutal turn of events for Collins, a former 10th overall pick who is eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. Since entering Portland’s starting lineup on a full-time basis at the start of the ’19/20 season, the 23-year-old has only been able to play in 11 games, having missed most of last year due to shoulder surgery.

In 154 career regular season games (17.5 MPG), Collins has averaged 5.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .444/.324/.722 shooting.

Portland has always been high on the former Gonzaga standout, having traded the 15th and 20th overall picks in the 2017 draft to move up to No. 10 to get him. However, given his history of injuries, it now seems unlikely that the fourth-year forward/center will even receive a qualifying offer this summer. If he doesn’t get that QO (worth about $7MM), he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

Trail Blazers Notes: McCollum, Stotts, Lillard, Nurkic

May 22nd, 2021 at 8:46pm CST by Arthur Hill

Trail Blazers players won’t be thinking about saving coach Terry Stotts‘ job when they open their playoff series with the Nuggets tonight, CJ McCollum tells Jason Quick of The Athletic. Stotts is rumored to be among a handful of coaches who are in jeopardy if they suffer an early exit in the postseason. He has one year left on his current contract with a salary of more than $6MM.

McCollum made it clear that the players support Stotts, but there are other motivating factors.

“You have no control over those things,” he said. “I like Terry. Terry has been great for me, my career, my development, he’s given me a chance. I will forever be grateful for everything he has done for me. But your job as a player is to play. And his job as a coach is to coach. Like, you can’t worry about what could happen. That’s every year. Every year, I could be traded. Every year, a coach could lose his job. There is enough pressure to perform on its own.

“… I don’t need any extra motivation to help Terry keep his job. I’m gonna go hoop and do what I do no matter what. And I think that’s Terry’s mentality. If something happens, Terry is OK. He’s gonna be all right, and he’s probably going to get another head coaching job.”

There’s more Trail Blazers news to pass along:

Damian Lillard discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic affected him and players in general in an in-depth interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic. He also addresses a recent column by Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports calling for Portland to add more top-level talent during Lillard’s prime years. “People love to hear, ‘Oh, this guy might want out of here or out of there.’ I’ve constantly mentioned what my commitment to Portland is,” Lillard said. “I don’t think I need to keep going in on that. But over the course of a season, everybody gets frustrated, you know? And I’m not a person who fakes it for nobody. Not the media. Not my teammates. Not the fans. Not for nobody.”
The 2017 trade that sent Jusuf Nurkic from Denver to Portland helped the Nuggets and Blazers both improve, writes Kyle Fredrickson of The Denver Post. Portland needed an upgrade at center, and Nurkic had just lost his starting job to Nikola Jokic.
Zach Collins is the only player listed on the Trail Blazers’ injury report as the playoffs begin. Collins hasn’t played all season after undergoing surgery to fix a stress fracture in his ankle, but a recent story by Quick said the big man hasn’t given up hope of returning if Portland makes a long playoff run.

Northwest Notes: Millsap, Nuggets, Thunder, Blazers, Wolves

March 18th, 2021 at 1:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After being sidelined for 10 games by a left knee sprain, Nuggets big man Paul Millsap came off the bench in his first game back, but was reinserted into the starting lineup on Saturday when Monte Morris and Gary Harris were unavailable.

According to Nuggets head coach Michael Malone, Millsap approached him after that Saturday loss and reiterated that he’d be happy to continue coming off the bench or to accept another role to avoid impending the chemistry the new starting group had established (Twitter link via Mike Singer of The Denver Post). Millsap has started both of Denver’s games since then – both wins – but could return to the bench once Morris and Harris return.

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

The Nuggets will begin allowing fans into Ball Arena as of April 2, the team announced today in a press release. The plan is to limit capacity to 4,050 fans, approximately 22% of the building’s overall capacity.
The Thunder used a portion of their $19.5MM traded player exception created in the Danilo Gallinari sign-and-trade to absorb Meyers Leonard‘s $9.4MM contract, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks. As a result, Oklahoma City created another TPE worth Trevor Ariza‘s salary ($12.8MM), which will be available until the week before next year’s trade deadline.
Within his latest mailbag, Jason Quick of The Athletic says the Trail Blazers are gaining hope that Zach Collins (ankle surgery) can return by the postseason. Quick also believes LaMarcus Aldridge would be a great fit (and a great reunion story) for Portland if he’s available on the buyout market.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic breaks down the Timberwolves‘ trade tiers, writing that Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards are the untouchables, while Malik Beasley and Jaden McDaniels would only be in play for a star-caliber player.

Zach Collins Out Indefinitely Following Second Ankle Surgery

December 30th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins underwent revision surgery today to repair a left medial malleolus stress fracture, the team announced today in a press release. A specific timeline for his return hasn’t been set, with the team indicating he’ll be out indefinitely.

It’s the second procedure Collins has undergone on his left ankle, which he injured during the NBA’s summer restart. He first had surgery on that ankle on September 1.

It’s a tough setback for Collins, who had hoped to return to action at some point in January. Since entering Portland’s starting lineup on a full-time basis at the start of the ’19/20 season, the 23-year-old has only been able to play in 11 games, having missed most of last year due to shoulder surgery.

In 154 career regular season games (17.5 MPG), Collins has averaged 5.7 PPG and 4.0 RPG on .444/.324/.722 shooting.

Collins was eligible for a rookie scale extension prior to the start of this season, but he and the Trail Blazers opted to table contract negotiations until the summer of 2021. The thinking was that Collins would get a chance to prove his value after a lost 2019/20 campaign. Now it’s no longer clear exactly if or when he’ll get that opportunity.

Extension Rumors: Z. Collins, Allen, Tucker, Mykhailiuk, Markkanen

December 19th, 2020 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Like his teammate Gary Trent Jr., Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins doesn’t intend to sign a contract extension with the club before the season, reports Michael Scotto of HoopsHype. Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Scotto that discussions with Portland on a long-term deal for Collins will be tabled until the 2021 offseason.

“(Blazers president of basketball operations) Neil (Olshey) and I have talked quite a bit about Zach, and there’s no question how strongly the Blazers feel about him,” Bartelstein said. “We both feel that an extension probably just doesn’t make sense at this time based on Zach not having a chance to play as much last year due to his injuries.

“Everyone’s focus right now is on getting Zach back to full health and having a terrific season, and then Neil and I will sit down and get to work on a contract this summer.”

Collins missed most of the 2019/20 season due to a shoulder injury, then had to be shut down early during the summer restart thanks to ankle surgery. He only played a total of 11 games in his third year, so he’ll look to make a stronger impression during the fourth and final year of his rookie contract in ’20/21.

Here’s more from Scotto on potential candidates for contract extensions:

The Nets have had exploratory discussions with center Jarrett Allen about a possible rookie scale extension, according to Scotto, who hears from a source close to Allen that the big man has enjoyed learning from Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving and wants to remain in Brooklyn long-term.
Scotto confirms that P.J. Tucker and the Rockets are engaging in extension talks, as Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle reported on Friday. If the two sides don’t reach a deal and Tucker becomes available in trades, Houston should have no problem finding suitors — multiple teams have expressed interest in acquiring him, says Scotto.
There’s mutual interest between the Pistons and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk in a potential extension, writes Scotto. Mykhailiuk, who will become a restricted free agent in 2021 without a new deal, would be eligible for up to $53.76MM over four years. That’s probably higher than Detroit would be willing to go, but it’s worth noting that the third-year guard made 40.4% of his three-pointers in 2019/20 and sharpshooters like Davis Bertans and Joe Harris did very well in free agency.
Although the Bulls and Lauri Markkanen have both publicly expressed a desire to finalize a rookie scale extension by Monday’s deadline, the team sides remained far apart heading into the weekend, according to Scotto.

Northwest Notes: Morris, Collins, Bogdanovic, Maledon

December 13th, 2020 at 1:37pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Nuggets reserve point guard Monte Morris agreed to a new, three-year extension with Denver this offseason. Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports tweets the full details of the agreement, which is fully guaranteed with no player or team options. It will pay Morris $8.4MM for the 2021/22 season, $9.1MM in 2022/23, and $9.8MM in 2023/24.

The No. 51 pick by the Nuggets out of Iowa State in the 2017 draft, Morris has carved out a core rotation role with the club during the last two seasons. In 2019/20, he averaged 9.0 PPG, 3.5 APG, 1.9 RPG and 0.8 SPG. He sported a slash line of .459/.378/.843.

There’s more out of the Northwest Division:

After undergoing left ankle surgery in September, Trail Blazers power forward Zach Collins went through a light, half-speed workout this week, per Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com (Twitter link). Holdahl suggests that Portland hopes to have Collins back on the court in mid-to-late January.
Jazz starting small forward Bojan Bogdanović saw his first in-game action since May wrist surgery on Saturday in a preseason contest against the Suns. Bogdanovic exhibited the many ways he can contribute to the team’s offensive output, according to Sarah Todd of the Deseret News. “It’s kind of kind of strange, this is my first time in my life that I didn’t play for this long,” Bogdanovic remarked after the game.
Thunder rookie guard Theo Maledon had a sparkling preseason debut for Oklahoma City, per Joe Mussatto of The Oklahoman. The 6’5″ guard, drafted with the No. 34 pick this year, scored 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting and pulled down five rebounds in a 121-108 victory over the Spurs.

Northwest Notes: Conley, Bogdanovic, Horford, Blazers, Morris

December 8th, 2020 at 5:39pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jazz point guard Mike Conley cleared all COVID-19 protocols and practiced in full on Tuesday, Eric Walden of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets. Utah has one unnamed player who has yet to be cleared. Conley had close contact with a family member who tested positive, which forced him to the sidelines. He had to produce seven consecutive negative tests before he could exit quarantine.

We have more from around the Northwest Division:

Jazz swingman Bojan Bogdanovic says he’ll be ready to play at the start of the season, Tony Jones of The Athletic tweets. Bogdanovic, who underwent wrist surgery in May and missed the restart, has been practicing in full this week.
Al Horford and rookie Theo Maledon will join the Thunder once they complete coronavirus protocols, Brandon Rahbar of the Daily Thunder tweets. Horford and Maledon were officially acquired from the Sixers on Monday. “Theo, for a young player, he has a lot of experience and has a certain maturity about him,” new head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Al, we’re very fortunate that he’s here and to have a player of his caliber.”
Among the three members of the Trail Blazers organization to test positive for the virus was one player, coach Terry Stotts told Jason Quick of The Athletic (Twitter link). Zach Collins (ankle) and Jusuf Nurkic, who just arrived Sunday, also missed the first practice on Tuesday.
The Nuggets are confident backup point guard Monte Morris and EuroLeague import Facundo Campazzo will be able to play together in the second unit, Kendra Andrews of The Athletic writes. Rookie draft pick RJ Hampton will need more seasoning before he’s ready for big minutes, Andrews said. Denver and Morris, one of the team’s top reserves the past two seasons, agreed on a three-year, $27MM extension on Monday.