Trail Blazers won’t make qualifying offer to Zach Collins

[Ed Monix]

The Portland Trail Blazers will not tender a qualifying offer to free agent forward Zach Collins, making him an unrestricted free agent in the upcoming off-season. The move effectively severs ties between Portland and the player they selected 10th in the 2017 NBA Draft. Collins will now be free to negotiate a deal with any NBA team, including the Blazers.

The pending restricted free agent spoke to The Athletic’s Jason Quick detailing the disappointment of his third foot surgery on June 29 and his ambition to get his body right and another NBA contract this August.

Collins’ disastrous two-year stretch was dealt a heavy blow when he was told he’d once again fractured his left foot and would require surgery.

Collins admitted to Quick that after playing only 11 games over the past two seasons, he knows the offers might not be as lucrative as he had originally hoped.

“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.”

Portland could possibly trying to save money on Collins knowing he would be available for less than his rookie scale contract but IMO could be a steal for the Celtics.

Portland are in crisis with every cent and move now critical. Collins sitting behind Horford and perhaps even Thompson, learning from those guys is the best environment for him, without pressure of being a major piece on a championship contender.

[Roy H.]

We're four-deep with rotation players at center right now as it is.  Unless Horford and/or Timelord are dealt, I'm not sure if its our biggest position of need.

[Who]

I like him as a 3rd string center. Too injury prone and underdeveloped as a player to be relied on for anything more than that.

Minimum contract only.

[Ed Monix]

We're four-deep with rotation players at center right now as it is.  Unless Horford and/or Timelord are dealt, I'm not sure if its our biggest position of need.

Collins in his limited time in the NBA played as a power forward and did reasonably well.

If the Celtics and his agent came to a pre-arranged contract price, they can look to move Timelord and/or Moses Brown.

Remember Embiid’s last major contract, there were several clauses related to injuries… I think a similar idea would suit both parties, it protects the Celtics and gives incentive for Collins to stay healthy.

[Who]

We're four-deep with rotation players at center right now as it is.  Unless Horford and/or Timelord are dealt, I'm not sure if its our biggest position of need.

Collins in his limited time in the NBA played as a power forward and did reasonably well, if Celtics and his agent came to a pre-arranged contract price, they can look to move Timelord and/or Moses Brown.

He was a train wreck at the four. Center only.

Too limited offensively to play as a forward. Becomes a one dimensional spot up shooter and not that good of one. His shooting is a plus as a center but not good enough relative to forwards. His defense ain't great at PF either. Nor is it at C but at least he has the physical tools to become a capable defender there. PF will always be tough for him defending players who are smaller and quicker than he is.

The only reason Collins got any minutes at all at the PF position is because Portland's forward position is an absolute train wreck. Maybe the worst in the league. They forced to play him there. They hoped he could make it work and he was not able to. Simply not skilled enough to play forward.

That he ever played PF for Portland is an indictment on their roster.

[Ed Monix]

We're four-deep with rotation players at center right now as it is.  Unless Horford and/or Timelord are dealt, I'm not sure if its our biggest position of need.

Collins in his limited time in the NBA played as a power forward and did reasonably well, if Celtics and his agent came to a pre-arranged contract price, they can look to move Timelord and/or Moses Brown.

He was a train wreck at the four. Center only.

Too limited offensively to play as a forward. Becomes a one dimensional spot up shooter and not that good of one. His shooting is a plus as a center but not good enough relative to forwards. His defense ain't great at PF either. Nor is it at C but at least he has the physical tools to become a capable defender there. PF will always be tough for him defending players who are smaller and quicker than he is.

The only reason Collins got any minutes at all at the PF position is because Portland's forward position is an absolute train wreck. Maybe the worst in the league. They forced to play him there. They hoped he could make it work and he was not able to. Simply not skilled enough to play forward.

That he ever played PF for Portland is an indictment on their roster.

You are correct about him on offence, but that because he’s missed so much time through injury to develop, but he has shown flashes.

Defensively he’s more then capable of defending forwards.

https://youtu.be/JFmqtLLjdYY

He was surrounded with average to poor defenders his entire career, usually having to sweep up their mistakes. The analytics also show he was a top percentile defender, his only major issue was his salary related to his health risk.

[Ed Monix]

Excerpt from 2018 Kevin O’Connor article;

Damian Lillard said recently that Collins has Defensive Player of the Year potential, and the path is there for him, especially if defensive analytics improve in the public forum. Collins can block shots, but his game is more predicated on positioning—like past winners Joakim Noah and Marc Gasol. Maybe we will enter an age where advanced analytics can grade the process (shot alterations, shots prevented) rather than solely relying on results-based stats like blocks and steals.

One area that O’Connor says Collins needs to improve is his tendency to foul. Collins averages 3 fouls per game despite playing only 21.4 minutes, putting him at 5.1 fouls per 36 minutes. O’Connor suggests that if Collins continues to improve he could be moved to the starting lineup as early as this season:

If Collins improves his discipline to match his fundamentals by the end of the season, he could start and finish over center Jusuf Nurkic, who logs 24.9 minutes per game. While Nurkic is a stronger rebounder and interior scorer, Collins can defend the perimeter, protect the rim, and shoot 3s—all more valuable skills for today’s pace-and-space style. It’s only a matter of time until Collins, despite his youth, becomes the primary enforcer Portland needs.