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One of the looming questions of this season for the Portland Trail Blazers is: will Zach Collins be healthy and will he get an extension? According to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, it is unlikely that the Trail Blazers will offer Collins a rookie-scale extension by December 21st, given his agent’s thinking on the matter.
“Neil and I have talked quite a bit about Zach, and there’s no question how strongly the Blazers feel about him,” agent Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports told HoopsHype. “We both feel that an extension probably just doesn’t make sense at this time based on Zach not having a chance to play as much last year due to his injuries. Everyone’s focus right now is on getting Zach back to full health and having a terrific season, and then Neil and I will sit down and get to work on a contract this summer.”
Collins ended up with a stress fracture in his left ankle, which put an end to his play in the Orlando bubble and needed surgery, which he received in September. This followed on a season that ended early due to a shoulder injury, which required surgery. The Trail Blazers anticipate Collins will be able to return to play in mid-January.
UPDATE: Jason Quick of the Athletic announced that the Blazers will not extend Collins.
The Trail Blazers will not pursue a contract extension for Zach Collins, a source tells @TheAthleticNBA. The fourth-year big man will become a restricted free agent after this season.
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) December 19, 2020
As Quick notes, it does not necessarily mean that Collins will leave the team next season.
The Blazers will have the right to match any free agent offers Collins receives in the summer of 2021. This does not mean they intend to part ways. They had until Monday to sign him to an extension. https://t.co/XjuDRisiyM
— Jason Quick (@jwquick) December 19, 2020