The Portland Trail Blazers shook up their coaching staff following another first-round exit from the NBA Playoffs. Head coach Terry Stotts and the organization agreed to part ways, eventually tabbing Chauncey Billups to take over as his replacement.
That decision has caused quite a stir, as the head coaching search seems to be a driving force in Damian Lillard’s confidence in the organization supposedly waning. While a lot of focus has been given to Lillard trade rumors, and rightfully so, he isn’t the only Trail Blazers guard that could be on the move this summer.
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, during a Trail Blazers mailbag, CJ McCollum has a good chance of being on the move this offseason.
Quick shared on the subscription-based The Athletic that in his opinion, for the first time a McCollum trade not only seems probable if not a certain outcome. He points out that a McCollum trade is the quickest way for Portland to shake up and upgrade their roster.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: 4 teams who must go all-out to trade for CJ McCollum
Quick also referenced Neil Olshey’s postseason address to the media. During that address, Olshey, as Quick puts it, softened his stance on his insistence to not trade McCollum, saying, “nothing is ever off the table if it advances us closer to a championship.”
If the Blazers are able to repair their relationship with Lillard, trading away McCollum is a logical step in trying to get the team to that next level. While McCollum is a dynamic scoring guard in his own right, a lot of the Blazers’ issues defensively is that together they make for an undersized backcourt.
Putting a bigger, maybe more defensive-minded player, in the backcourt alongside Lillard would help solve some of the team’s issues defensively on the court.
READ MORE: NBA Rumors: This Blazers-Mavericks trade pairs CJ McCollum, Luka Doncic
Re-signing Norman Powell and then flipping McCollum for more assets, such as an upgrade on the wing, would help reshape and balance out Portland’s roster for their new head coach.
Of course, this is all contingent on the team retaining Lillard. If he is traded away, the outlook of the whole organization changes.
