Zach Collins Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Northwest Notes: Beasley, Collins, Jazz, Nuggets

October 31st, 2019 at 1:24pm CST by Luke Adams

The Nuggets made a “very aggressive” attempt to lock up Malik Beasley to a rookie scale extension before last week’s deadline, a league source tells Mike Singer of The Denver Post. However, the two sides couldn’t strike a deal, and Beasley remains on track for restricted free agency in 2020, an outcome that doesn’t bother him.

“I feel like I have no pressure at all,” the Nuggets guard said of his contract year. “I’ve had pressure my whole life, so this is nothing. This is basketball, so it’s going to be fun. I put in a lot of work, so it’s going to be easy.”

In some instances, extension discussions between a team and a player can get contentious, particularly if no agreement is reached during the preseason. As Singer writes though, Beasley doesn’t sound like someone who will hold a grudge against the Nuggets when contract negotiations resume next summer: “It was great talks from both parties and just couldn’t figure something out. It doesn’t hurt my relationship with them, it doesn’t hurt anything on the court.”

Here’s more from around the Northwest:

Although Zach Collins underwent an MRI on his injured shoulder earlier this week, the Trail Blazers have yet to reveal the results or announce a timeline for his return to action, writes Casey Holdahl of Blazers.com. The recovery process from a dislocated shoulder is generally measured in weeks rather than days, so it’s probably safe to assume Collins will be out for a little while.
Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic are starting to show why the Jazz brought them in this summer to boost the team’s offense. Aaron Falk of UtahJazz.com examines Conley’s breakout game vs. the Clippers on Wednesday, while Tony Jones of The Athletic looks at how Bogdanovic is taking some pressure off Donovan Mitchell.
Because the Nuggets don’t have a G League affiliate of their own, their two-way players – PJ Dozier and Bol Bol – will play for the Windy City Bulls, Chicago’s NBAGL affiliate, as Adam Johnson of 2 Ways & 10 Days tweets. It’s not clear whether more than one G League team expressed interest in taking on Dozier and Bol, but in that scenario, Denver would have had the opportunity to choose where to send them.

Zach Collins Suffers Dislocated Shoulder

October 27th, 2019 at 9:09pm CST by JD Shaw

Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins suffered a dislocated left shoulder against the Mavericks on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link).

Collins will undergo an MRI on the injured shoulder on Monday, Wojnarowski notes.

The former lottery pick exited the game in the fourth quarter due to the injury, finishing with 10 points and three rebounds in 24 minutes. He stated after the game that his shoulder “popped back in cleanly,” something that could be a good sign for Blazers fans, Marc Stein of the New York Times tweets.

Collins, 21, is in his third season with Portland. He appeared in 77 games with the team last year, averaging 6.6 points, 4.2 rebounds and 17.6 minutes per contest. He’s started in each of his three games this season.

Blazers Exercise 2020/21 Options On Collins, Simons

September 24th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Trail Blazers have exercised their 2020/21 team options on Zach Collins and Anfernee Simons, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).

Collins, Portland’s first-round pick in 2017, will have a $5,406,255 cap hit on his fourth-year option in ’20/21. He’ll be extension-eligible next summer and will otherwise be on track for restricted free agency in the summer of 2021.

The big man, who turns 22 in November, projects to have a major role for the Blazers with Jusuf Nurkic still sidelined to start the season. Collins averaged 6.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 77 games off the bench last season, but will likely be part of the starting lineup this fall and figure to play more than the 17.6 minutes per game he averaged in 2018/19.

As for Simons, his third-year option for ’20/21 will have a very modest cap hit of $2,252,040. The 20-year-old, who was selected 24th overall in the 2018 draft, appeared in just 20 games during his rookie season but has been generating buzz this offseason and should play more minutes going forward. Simons figures to get an opportunity to back up Damian Lillard at the point now that Evan Turner is no longer in the picture.

With Collins and Simons now locked in for 2020/21, the Blazers have approximately $91.4MM in guaranteed money on their cap. That figure doesn’t include player options for Rodney Hood or Mario Hezonja.

Western Notes: Paul, Collins, Gordon

September 8th, 2019 at 8:41pm CST by JD Shaw

Despite being traded to a presumed non-contender, veteran star Chris Paul can help steady the ship of the Thunder if both sides choose to stay together this season, Chad Smith of Basketball Insiders writes.

Paul, who’s entering his 15th season, was traded from Houston to Oklahoma City in a major deal involving Russell Westbrook this past summer. In the agreement, Oklahoma City also acquired first-round picks in 2024 and 2026 as well as pick swaps in 2021 and 2025.

While the Thunder were thought to be rebuilding after sending away both Westbrook and superstar Paul George in separate deals, the team currently has Paul, Danilo Gallinari, Steven Adams, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Andre Roberson and other veterans under contract for the upcoming season.

Paul failed to keep his footing in Houston alongside star guard James Harden, but he’s made a career out of running teams at lead guard when the ball is primarily in his hands. The Thunder can opt to keep the 34-year-old, who’s due $38.5MM, $41.3MM and $44.2MM (player option) in each of the next three seasons, or look to trade him and offload his contract from their books.

There’s more out of the Western Conference tonight:

The Trail Blazers’ title hopes largely hinge on whether Zach Collins can properly adapt his game this season, Jack Winter of Basketball Insiders writes. Collins could be named the team’s starting power forward with Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless no longer on the roster, making it imperative that he improves his game on the perimeter and continues to adapt entering his third NBA season.
Eric Gordon will have four seasons’ worth of chances to guarantee the $20MM+ in the final year of his extension with the Rockets, Bobby Marks of ESPN tweets. Gordon’s extension also contains a minutes criteria that he will likely reach in order to guarantee the final season, which only happens if he makes the All-Star team or the Rockets win an NBA championship, Marks notes. Gordon has this season, the 2020/21 season, 2021/22, and 2022/23 to reach the criteria needed for the final year.

Northwest Notes: Collins, Porter Jr., Thunder

August 24th, 2019 at 2:58pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Zach Collins is expected to be 100 percent healthy by the time training camp rolls around, Jason Quick of The Athletic relays. The big man suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain while competing in Tim Grgurich’s summer camp in Las Vegas.

Collins is expected to play a significant role for the Trail Blazers this upcoming season. The team lost Enes Kanter in free agency and jettisoned Meyers Leonard to Miami. Portland did acquire Hassan Whiteside, but the team’s big man depth will be tested until Jusuf Nurkic is able to recover from the broken leg he suffered at the end of the 2018/19 campaign.

Here’s more from the Northwest Division:

How much will Michael Porter Jr. play for the Nuggets this upcoming season? Eric Spyropoulos of NBA.com would be surprised if it was more than 15-17 minutes per game as a result of the depth on Denver’s roster.
In the same piece, Spyropoulos argues that no team will start the season as strongly from a chemistry standpoint as the Nuggets will. The team brings back a core that has spent several seasons together with the only major addition being Jerami Grant.
We may be in the midst of a player empowerment era in the NBA, though Tom Ziller of SB Nation contends that Paul George‘s move to Los Angeles is not on par with Anthony Davis‘ and LeBron James‘ power moves. Ziller explains how the Thunder, like the Pacers two years prior, received good value in a trade for George.

Zach Collins Recovering From Ankle Injury

August 1st, 2019 at 6:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Trail Blazers big man Zach Collins is recovering from a right ankle injury sustained during an offseason workout, writes Dwight Jaynes of NBC Sports Northwest. Jaynes reports that Collins suffered a grade 2 ankle sprain, as well as a torn ligament.

According to Jaynes, the Trail Blazers confirmed that the injury – which did not require surgery – occurred a couple weeks ago. The team has been quiet about it to this point and doesn’t expect it to sideline Collins for training camp or the preseason, despite the fact that he has been on crutches and in a walking boot, per Jaynes.

As long as he’s healthy, Collins figures to be an important part of Portland’s rotation to start the 2019/20 season. Centers Enes Kanter and Meyers Leonard are no longer members of the Blazers, and Jusuf Nurkic isn’t expected to be ready to return from his leg injury to start the season. As such, Collins will be responsible for bringing some continuity to a new-look group of centers that also features Hassan Whiteside and Pau Gasol.

Collins, 21, will be entering his third NBA season, having averaged 6.6 PPG and 4.2 RPG in 77 games (17.6 MPG) in 2018/19. While his numbers as a pro have been modest, the Blazers still have high hopes for the former Gonzaga standout, who was the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft.

Western Notes: Morris, Fournier, Kanter, Booker

April 24th, 2019 at 10:45pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Celtics forward Marcus Morris believes Thunder coach Billy Donovan made a big mistake by using his brother Markieff Morris sparingly during their playoff series against Portland, Jay King of The Athletic reports.

Markieff Morris chose to play with Oklahoma City after reaching a buyout with New Orleans, which acquired him from the Wizards at the trade deadline. Markieff played just four minutes in Game 5 and between 13 and 15 minutes in the other games of the series won by the Trail Blazers, 4-1.

“I’m not a coach or anything like that, but I feel like they just didn’t utilize their bench enough. I feel like my brother went over there for no reason,” Marcus said. “He never got an opportunity to play. I thought that he would really help them in the playoffs, but from what I seen he should have went somewhere else just to be able to show that veteran leadership and that experience.”

We have more from the Western Conference:

The Trail Blazers made an offer for Magic swingman Evan Fournier that Orlando passed on prior to the trade deadline, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders tweets. Portland was willing to ship a roster player and a protected first-rounder for Fournier, who will make $17MM next season and holds a player option on his $17MM salary for the 2020/21 season.
Trail Blazers center Enes Kanter played with a separated left shoulder in Game 5, Kevin Pelton of ESPN reports. Kanter suffered the injury during the opening quarter but managed to play 32 minutes. He received a pain-killing injection at halftime. Kanter averaged 13.2 PPG and 10.2 RPG in the series as the primary replacement for injured Jusuf Nurkic. Portland would have to rely more on Zach Collins and Meyers Leonard in the conference semifinals if Kanter is forced to miss any games.
Suns star guard Devin Booker had no input in the firing of coach Igor Kokoskov, GM James Jones told the Arizona Republic’s Katherine Fitzgerald and other media members. “I speak to Devin, I speak to all of our players, about our organization. But in these instances, this isn’t a decision for Devin to make. This is my decision,” Jones said. That’s curious, since Booker indicated after signing his five-year maximum salary extension that he’d have a say in all major moves going forward. I think it’s a collective agreement. Moving forward, throwing in any advice I can, stay in the loop and watch what’s going on and know what’s going on,” Booker said last month.
The Rockets held a predraft workout on Wednesday that included Mississippi guard Quinndary Weatherspoon, Washington guard Jalyen Nowell and Campbell guard Chris Clemons, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Houston does not currently own a pick in this year’s draft. Nowell is the highest-ranked prospect among the trio, as he’s ranked No. 87 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.

Deveney’s Latest: Blazers, Harkless, Saric, Matthews

February 4th, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After officially acquiring Rodney Hood in a trade with Cleveland earlier today, the Trail Blazers may not be done dealing, writes Sean Deveney of Sporting News. According to Deveney, some executives around the NBA have suggested that Portland regretted its relative inactivity at last season’s deadline and is more willing to make moves this time around.

Whether the Trail Blazers do anything drastic may hinge on their willingness to move second-year big man Zach Collins, according to Deveney, who says that the team has “resisted inquiries” on Collins so far.

Maurice Harkless is among the Trail Blazers who could be had though, and the team is open to moving its first-round pick as well, per Deveney. Harkless has one more year on his contract after this season, which figures to limit his value — teams like the Knicks and Nets have had interest in him in the past, but won’t want to compromise their 2019 cap flexibility by acquiring him now, Deveney observes.

Here’s more on the Blazers, plus a couple other notes from Deveney on the trade market:

Nikola Mirotic (Pelicans), Jeremy Lin (Hawks), Evan Fournier (Magic), and JaMychal Green (Grizzlies) are among the players the Trail Blazers have expressed interest in, sources tell Deveney.
Dario Saric‘s production and playing time has dipped since Ryan Saunders took over as the Timberwolves‘ head coach, and Deveney suggests that it wouldn’t be a shock to see Saric back on the trade block in the offseason, or even this week. “He could be had for a decent offer, a first-rounder and a player,” one league executive told Deveney.
Deveney reiterates that the Raptors and Rockets are expected to be among the favorites for Wesley Matthews if he’s bought out, as we heard earlier today. The Bucks wouldn’t be among Matthews’ suitors, per Deveney, though Milwaukee hopes to add one more frontcourt piece via trade or free agency.

Trail Blazers Rumors: Stotts, Lillard, Collins

November 20th, 2018 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

After their 2017/18 season ended with a four-game sweep at the hands of the Pelicans in the first round of the postseason, the Trail Blazers came close to firing head coach Terry Stotts, sources tell ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Portland was close enough to making a move that teams like the Suns begin reaching out to intermediaries to gauge Stotts’ potential interest in their own coaching openings.

However, while ownership seriously considered a change, president of basketball operations Neil Olshey and star point guard Damian Lillard fought for Stotts, according to Lowe.

“I was asked what I thought, and I just said I love him as a coach,” Lillard said of Stotts. “We all love him.”

Lowe’s piece takes a deep dive into the Trail Blazers’ culture, as he notes that Lillard and C.J. McCollum “tolerate no squabbling, or blame games.” That attitude permeates the organization from top to bottom, according to Lowe, who points to the relationship between Olshey and Stotts as another example.

Although the two team leaders haven’t always seen eye-to-eye on everything, they’ve developed an understanding that Olshey will avoid players who don’t fit Stotts’ style and Stotts will coach the players he gets. As a result of their relationship, Lowe explains, players will never see Olshey and Stotts at odds in any serious way, as the organization emphasizes a drama-free and resentment-free culture.

Here’s more from Lowe on the Blazers:

The Blazers’ late owner Paul Allen, who passed away last month, addressed the team in the wake of its first-round exit, calling the four-game sweep “unacceptable,” sources tell Lowe. Based on the language and the tone, people within the organization were nervous that a major shakeup was coming during the offseason.
Allen was ultimately convinced to give everyone – including Stotts and the Blazers’ core – one more season, while team management and coaches vowed to make changes heading into 2018/19. Namely, as Lowe details, Portland wanted to surround Evan Turner with more shooting on the second unit, re-shuffle the rotation to get Lillard and McCollum more playing time together, and get off to a faster start this season. So far, that plan is going well.
The Blazers still want to find a way to supplement their Lillard/McCollum duo with a third impact player, sources around the NBA tell Lowe. Zach Collins and Jusuf Nurkic have emerged as perhaps Portland’s most valuable trade chips, but the club doesn’t want to trade Collins and “almost certainly won’t” anytime soon, Lowe reports.
Lowe identifies Khris Middleton and Tobias Harris as the type of player who would appeal to the Blazers, though acquiring either of those guys in a trade or as a free agent would be an extreme long shot. Forwards like Otto Porter of the Wizards and Taurean Prince of the Hawks may be more realistic trade targets, Lowe notes.
Lillard still believes the Blazers are capable of reaching greater heights during his tenure with the team. “Good things come to good people, even if you get swept somewhere along the way,” he tells Lowe. “This is what goes through my mind: I’m gonna be in my 11th year or something here, I’m gonna stick with it, and we’re gonna make the Finals.”

Blazers Exercise Options On Collins, Swanigan

October 15th, 2018 at 4:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Trail Blazers have exercised their third-year options for the 2019/20 season on big men Zach Collins and Caleb Swanigan, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian tweets. The team has officially confirmed the option decisions.

The cap hit on Collins, who will make $3.63MM in his second NBA season, will be $4.24MM. The cap charge on Swanigan, who will make $1.74MM this season, will be a little over $2MM next season.

Portland already had over $119MM in guaranteed salary commitments on its cap for the 2019/20 season, so the decisions on Collins and Swanigan will add to potential luxury tax issues unless it can move some contracts.

Collins, the 10th overall pick in the 2017 draft, posted modest numbers in his rookie campaign. He averaged 4.4 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 15.8 MPG while making 66 regular-season appearances. He averaged 7.0 PPG and 3.0 RPG in 17.5 MPG during the Blazers’ four postseason games.

Swanigan, the 26th overall selection last summer, averaged 2.3 PPG and 2.0 RPG in 7.0 MPG during 27 regular-season appearances.

The decision to exercise those options shows that the Blazers feel there’s plenty of untapped potential in both players, though they are projected to have reserve roles this season. Collins should see more action with last year’s backup center, Ed Davis, signing with the Nets in free agency.