As the February 6 trade deadline draws nearer, it's becoming more and more clearer that the Golden State Warriors are pivoting towards addressing the center position rather than go all in for a star player.
That might prove the right decision, with the Warriors certainly needing to find some level of offense in the front court to complement the defense of Trayce Jackson-Davis, Kevon Looney and even small-ball options in Draymond Green and Kyle Anderson.
Golden State have been strongly linked to a move for Chicago Bulls big man Nikola Vucevic over recent weeks, but another more under-the-radar trade target could emerge who's having an equally as impressive season to date.
The Warriors have been linked to a trade for John Collins
Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reported on Thursday that the Warriors have inquired about a quartet of big men across the league, including Vucevic, Jonas Valancuinas, Robert Williams III and John Collins.
The latter may be the least discussed of those options among fans, but his performances with the Utah Jazz shouldn't be be ignored. After struggling to shoot the ball a little over the past couple of seasons, Collins has rediscovered his form and is subsequently drilling 43.8% of his over three 3-point attempts per game.
Despite coming off the bench in one-third of his outings, Collins is averaging 17.9 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.5 assists with the Jazz this season. The 6'9" forward is shooting 52.5% from the floor overall and is also adding two stocks (steals and blocks) per game.
Combine those numbers with the fact he's still just 27-years-old and you could argue that Collins should be more of a priority than he seemingly is among the alternative options. The issue comes down to his contract and the fact he makes $26.8 million this season, and then has a player option at the same number that he's likely to pick up.
That makes things far more difficult and complicated for Golden State to possibly match salaries, particularly given they're not going to be at all interested in giving up Andrew Wiggins to make it happen.
Perhaps the Warriors could wait and make a deal in the final 24 hours before the deadline once Dennis Schroder becomes trade eligible, with the expiring salaries of he, Looney and Gary Payton II potentially something the Jazz may be interested in.
It will also be interesting to hear whether or not there's any residual effect from Golden State and Utah's previous discussions over Lauri Markkanen, with the Warriors having been heavily interested in the All-Star forward before he renegotiated and extended his deal with the Jazz in August.