The Atlanta Hawks have been shopping John Collins for a while now. It seems inevitable that Collins and the Hawks will eventually part ways, but the team is moving slowly in trade talks at the moment.

The Brooklyn Nets, Indiana Pacers, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards are all known to have an interest in acquiring Collins. The Jazz have been often linked to Collins since the offseason, while the Pacers have been mentioned as a strong candidate in recent weeks.

Collins was nearly traded to the Sacramento Kings this past offseason in a deal that would have sent Harrison Barnes to Atlanta. That trade fell apart, and it's unknown if Sacramento still interest in the Hawks power forward.

Jordan Clarkson and the Utah Jazz have opened negotiations on a contract extension.

Clarkson can become a free agent in 2023 if he declines his $14.3 million option.

Clarkson is averaging career highs of 20.1 points and 4.5 assists per game.

If Clarkson enters free agency, he would be one of the best available guards on the open market.

In a wide-ranging interview, Donovan Mitchell admitted that racial tensions in Utah drained him while he played for the Utah Jazz. Mitchell said it changed the way he thought about things away from the court.

Asked if he feels more comfortable in Cleveland, where the population is more Black, Mitchell said there is more comfort there.

"It’s a little comforting for me, 100%. I’m not going to lie about that. It’s no secret there’s a lot of stuff that I dealt with being in Utah off the floor. If I’m being honest with you, I never really said this, but it was draining. It was just draining on my energy just because you can’t sit in your room and cheer for me and then do all these different things. I’m not saying specifically every fan, but I just feel like it was a lot of things. A (Utah) state senator (Stuart Adams) saying I need to get educated on my own Black history. Seeing Black kids getting bullied because of their skin color. Seeing a little girl (Isabella Tichenor) hang herself because she’s being bullied," Mitchell said.

"Man, it was just one thing after another," Mitchell added. "And I will say, it’s not the only place it happens. But for me, I’m continuing to be an advocate for (racial equality) and to receive the amount of pushback I got over the years, it was a lot."

Additionally, Mitchell explained that he and Rudy Gobert don't hate each other, but that things just didn't work basketball-wise. Mitchell also said his Cavaliers team has a chance to be "special".

The Phoenix Suns have been trying to find a home for Jae Crowder since he requested a trade this offseason. The Atlanta Hawks are interested in acquiring Crowder, while shopping John Collins themselves. The Utah Jazz have been linked to Collins, so the three teams seem like natural partners in some sort of three-team deal.

In recent weeks, Phoenix, Atlanta and Utah had conversations about a deal that would have landed Crowder in Atlanta, Collins in Utah and potentially Jarred Vanderbilt in Phoenix.

The Jazz are open to trading Vanderbilt, while the Suns have known interest in the big man. The Suns and Hawks have talked trade iterations that would have also sent Landry Shamet to Atlanta, but those talks broke down over draft pick compensation.

The Atlanta Hawks have discussed a John Collins trade with a number of teams, including the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, Brooklyn Nets and Dallas Mavericks.

Collins has been on the trade market for a considerable amount of time. Collins is in Year 2 of a five-year, $125 million contract.

Atlanta has so far not been interested in taking back Joe Harris as part of a deal with Brooklyn.

The Hawks would have interest in Kyle Kuzma, but there doesn't appear to be traction there with the Wizards. 

Mike Conley Jr. is expected to return to the Utah Jazz lineup on Friday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

The Jazz are 3-6 in Conley's absence.

Conley is averaging 10.2 points and 7.9 assists on the season. 

Collin Sexton was examined Thursday by the Utah Jazz medical staff and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) testing. The MRI revealed a mild hamstring strain in his right leg. He will be reevaluated in one week.

Sexton (6-1, 192, Alabama) is in his fifth NBA season and first with Utah, where he’s averaging 14.3 points on 49.3 percent from the field, 3.0 assists, and 2.4 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per contest during the 2022-23 season.

Host Danny Leroux (@DannyLeroux) and Dan Feldman of Dunc’d On Prime (@DanFeldmanNBA) go in-depth on team building.

They discuss the thought process front offices of teams that exceed and underperform pre-season expectations should use heading into the trade deadline, focusing on the Utah Jazz, Indiana Pacers and Chicago Bulls.

Sponsored by Rocket Money

Subscribe to RealGM Radio on Apple Podcasts or via the RSS feed. 

Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was fined $15,000 for throwing his headband into the stands. The incident occurred with 1.6 seconds remaining in Utah's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday.

Clarkson, as well as several Jazz teammates, were frustrated with the officiating throughout the game. Utah head coach Will Hardy received his first technical foul for arguing a non-call when Clarkson drove to the basket.

Mike Conley could make his return to the Utah Jazz lineup on Wednesday against the Golden State Warriors.

The Jazz will see how Conley responds to practice before clearing him.

Conley will likely be on a minutes restriction when he returns.

The Jazz are 2-6 without Conley.