Team context: Chicago Bulls · Research cutoff: July 18, 2026.
Role and baseline
Collins played only 10 games after right-knee and right-toe problems, averaging 9.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.9 threes in 18.4 minutes on .578/.700 shooting. He underwent season-ending right-toe surgery in February. Basketball-Reference Bulls page · Bulls player update
Chicago then agreed to a two-year, $17 million extension on June 30, roughly $8.5M per season, retaining him before he could reach free agency. It is the club's second-largest 2026 commitment after Norman Powell and it was made specifically to keep a backup center. NBA.com, July 1, 2026 · Hoops Rumors, June 30, 2026
2026-27 projection
| GP | Min | FG% | FT% | 3PM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58 | 11 | .520 | .710 | 0.5 | 5.7 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.6 |
Base rotation allocation: 11 of Chicago's exactly 240 minutes.
Correction 2026-07-18: this dossier previously carried Collins at zero baseline minutes as a conditional-only streamer, with Jalen Smith given the initial edge at backup five. That does not square with the contract: Chicago paid ~$8.5M per year to retain Collins and committed no new money to Smith, whose recurring right calf strain ended his 2025-26 season in March. Collins moves into the baseline table at 11 minutes, taken from Smith, Noa Essengue, Leonard Miller and Isaac Okoro; the team total remains 240. Toe-surgery clearance is now treated as the gating condition rather than as grounds for a zero. Games played is set at 58 to reflect the durability record, not a role limitation.
Fantasy fit
- Redraft/points: late-round big-man depth rather than a pure streamer, given a defined 11-minute role; a genuine add if Claxton misses time.
- Dynasty: replaceable veteran depth.
- Strengths: passing, some spacing, rebounds, acceptable per-minute scoring.
- Weaknesses: durability, fouls, crowded center depth, limited defensive events.
Range and triggers
- Floor: recovery delays push the 11 minutes back to Smith and Essengue and he opens the year in street clothes.
- Ceiling: 18 minutes with roughly 9/5/2 and one three, enough for deep leagues.
- Watch: five-on-five clearance, preseason mobility, and whether the extension signals rotation priority.
Career record
Pre-NBA: Gonzaga, one season (2016-17): 10.0 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.8 BPG on 65.2 FG% in 39 games off the bench for the national-runner-up Zags; second-team All-WCC, WCC All-Freshman, 2017 NCAA All-Tournament Team. Draft: 2017, Round 1, Pick 10 (Sacramento, traded on draft night to Portland).
| Season | Age | Team | GP | MPG | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | 3PM | FG% | FT% | TO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 20 | POR | 66 | 15.8 | 4.4 | 3.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | .398 | .643 | 0.9 |
| 2018-19 | 21 | POR | 77 | 17.6 | 6.6 | 4.2 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.5 | .473 | .746 | 1.0 |
| 2019-20 | 22 | POR | 11 | 26.4 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 1.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.6 | .471 | .750 | 1.3 |
| 2020-21 | 23 | — | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2021-22 | 24 | SAS | 28 | 17.9 | 7.8 | 5.5 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.5 | .490 | .800 | 1.6 |
| 2022-23 | 25 | SAS | 63 | 22.9 | 11.6 | 6.4 | 2.9 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 0.9 | .518 | .761 | 2.0 |
| 2023-24 | 26 | SAS | 69 | 22.1 | 11.2 | 5.4 | 2.8 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.8 | .484 | .753 | 1.9 |
| 2024-25 | 27 | SAS/CHI | 64 | 15.3 | 6.4 | 4.5 | 1.7 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | .507 | .885 | 0.9 |
| 2025-26 | 28 | CHI | 10 | 18.4 | 9.7 | 5.6 | 1.5 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.9 | .578 | .700 | 1.0 |
| Career | — | — | 388 | 18.9 | 8.0 | 4.9 | 1.8 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | .485 | .765 | 1.4 |
Durability: The defining issue. 11 games in 2019-20 (dislocated left shoulder, labrum surgery); all of 2020-21 missed (left ankle stress fracture, multiple surgeries); 28 games in 2021-22 returning from the refractured foot; 10 games in 2025-26 (right knee, then season-ending right-toe surgery in February). His only near-full seasons are 2017-19 in Portland and 63-69 GP in San Antonio 2022-24.
Trajectory: The 2022-24 San Antonio stretch is the real baseline for a healthy Collins: 11 and 6 with nearly 3 assists and a stretch element in 22-23 minutes — legitimately useful big-man depth. Everything since has been availability, not ability: per-minute production actually rose in Chicago (.578 FG, 0.9 threes in 18 minutes before the toe surgery). For 2026-27 he competes for the backup-center role behind Chicago's starter, a job the ~$8.5M/yr extension says is his to lose over Jalen Smith. He becomes fantasy-relevant only if the toe clears cleanly AND an injury ahead of him pushes his minutes back toward the low 20s — at 11 minutes he is a deep-league watch, not a roster.
Career sources: ESPN career stats · Wikipedia (draft, Gonzaga, injuries)
Open questions
- Is the toe fully healed for camp?
- Why did Chicago extend both depth and role uncertainty at center?
- Can he defend well enough to play beside Wilson or Smith?