Former Gonzaga forward Zach Collins dealt to Chicago Bulls as part of three-team trade

Former Gonzaga forward Zach Collins is on the move after 3½ seasons with the San Antonio Spurs.
Collins was involved in a blockbuster NBA trade on Sunday that sent the seventh-year player to the Chicago Bulls, ending his roller-coaster run in San Antonio.
As part of the trade first reported Sunday evening by ESPN’s Shams Charania, the Spurs landed Sacramento Kings All-Star guard De’Aaron Fox and guard Jordan McLaughlin.
Sacramento acquired standout Chicago guard Zach Lavine, San Antonio forward Sidy Cissoko, three first-round picks – a 2025 pick from Charlotte, 2027 pick from San Antonio and 2031 pick from Minnesota – along with three second-round picks.
Chicago, the third team involved in the deal, received Collins, San Antonio guard Tre Jones, Sacramento King guard Kevin Huerter and a 2025 draft pick from San Antonio.
The 27-year-old Collins was an integral piece for the Spurs from 2022-24, starting in 55 games for the team those two years while averaging more than 22 minutes per game and better than 11 points.
Collins has only started in four of his 36 appearances this season, watching his minutes drop from 22.1 last season to 11.8 this year and his point production decline from 11.2 to 4.6. Collins is also shooting just 46% from the field – his lowest percentage since shooting 39% as a rookie with the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Spurs moved Collins and acquired Fox as part of the team’s plan to build around second-year center and franchise cornerstone Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NBA draft.
Collins, who was drafted No. 10 overall in 2018 by the Sacramento Kings, was subsequently traded to the Portland Trail Blazers and appeared in 144 games for the team over three seasons while dealing with a variety of injuries.
Collins signed with the Spurs on Aug. 11, 2021, and inked a two-year, $35 million contract extension with the team on Oct. 22, 2023.
The former Gonzaga standout, who helped guide the Bulldogs to their first national championship appearance during his only college season, will likely compete for playing time in Chicago with starting power forward Patrick Williams and 20-year-old rookie forward Matas Buzelis.
Collins could also be an option at center for the Bulls, in which case he’d likely back up some combination of Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith.
Sunday’s three-team trade was the second in as many days that sent shock waves around the NBA. On Saturday night, while Gonzaga and Saint Mary’s were playing in a nationally televised game on ESPN, Charania broke news that the Los Angeles Lakers were trading forward Anthony Davis to the Dallas Mavericks for star guard Luka Doncic as part of a three-team deal that also involved that Utah Jazz.
The 25-year-old Doncic will now team up with LeBron James and former Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura to try and help the Lakers, currently fifth in the Western Conference standings, secure a postseason berth and make a deep playoff run.