A trade option for the Kings to strengthen their frontcourt

It wouldn’t be the offseason if we didn’t discuss the possibility of John Collins becoming king.

The Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz reportedly had talks about Lauri Markkanen, but Utah tied the talented big man to a long-term contract, thus taking him out of the transfer window.

There’s no indication yet of what the Jazz are planning to do around Markkanen, but if they plan to put Collins on the court, the Kings could look to bolster their frontcourt.

Collins is a hyper-athletic big man who finishes at the basket and shoots three-pointers at a respectable 37.1 percent. He’s not a great defender, but if the Kings refocus on their offensive game, he could be a big help in scoring.

Collins is a standout in the pick-and-roll game, ranking in the 91.2nd percentile for that play last season. This would be a great pairing especially for Malik Monk, who is great at both scoring and distributing out of the pick-and-roll.

One of Monk’s special moves is throwing lobs for his teammates, and it’s hard to think of anyone better at filling that role than Collins, who recorded 106 dunks last season, 42 of which were alley-oop completions.

That’s the role Chimezie Metu filled so well for Sacramento two seasons ago. Metu was extremely effective as a dunker, but struggled to spread the court as much as Collins did.

Collins would provide a lot of variety in the lineup. He could start alongside Keegan and Sabonis to give them the size they need to start games. He could support Keegan at the power forward position, Sabonis at the center position, or a combination of both, depending on the opponent. A duo of John Collins and Alex Len would be very interesting as a substitute, as their skills would complement each other well.

Salaries would be difficult to cover and they might have to send Kevin Huerter and Trey Lyles to make up the money. That’s a tough task this late in the offseason. If the Kings want to make another splash, John Collins would certainly give them another look.

Follow Inside The Kings on on facebook. And Þjórsárdalur.

SSubscribe to YouTube for current Kings news videos and live stream podcasts!