Should They Have Traded C.J. McCollum?
The Portland Trail Blazers could have decided to trade C.J. McCollum this summer to help retool their roster around Damian Lillard. I get that it would be tough letting go of a player with McCollum’s skills, but the return could have potentially lessened the burden of their worst recent signings.
What counts is that the Blazers may have missed a golden opportunity this offseason. C.J. McCollum, in 2017, had a down year. While his numbers are similar to what they were in 2015 and 2016, he didn’t seem to improve.
McCollum’s shooting percentage fell from 48 percent to 44.3 percent. His scoring average fell from 23.0 to 21.4 and his three-point percentage dropped from 42.1 percent to 39.7 percent. But still, McCollum earned $23.9 million and yet no All-Star nod to boot. While loyalty in sports is as uncommon as Dembe turning his back on Raymond Reddington, something has to give.
The backcourt of Lillard and McCollum is elite in the NBA, but the consistent losing in the playoffs should be enough motivation to get a deal done. Also, the Blazers already have around $125.7 million in inclusive total salary for the 2019-20 season following the new contract of Jusuf Nurkic.
A deal with the Philadelphia 76ers for their young talent and possible draft picks would have worked or even a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers would have been beneficial. If the Blazers go through another season as they have the last two years, McCollum could end up being the scapegoat.
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