Portland 76ers Receive: CJ McCollum
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: Tobias Harris, 2021 First-Round Pick, 2023 First-Round Pick
In this deal, the Philadelphia 76ers receive CJ McCollum, but they do not surrender Ben Simmons. The Portland Trail Blazers are lacking the draft capital to facilitate a trade for a player of Simmons stature. Instead, they are getting borderline All-Star Tobias Harris and two first-round picks in exchange for their scoring guard.
This trade helps Portland recoup some of the draft capital they have traded away in recent years. It gives them more chances in the draft should Damian Lillard request a trade and a full rebuild gets underway in the greater northwest.
Should Lillard stay, Harris would provide a lot of the same scoring ability that McCollum does. However, it would help balance out the team’s roster, as they were very guard-heavy.
Swapping McCollum for Harris would give the Trail Blazers some much-needed size, as they were playing Norman Powell alongside Lillard and McCollum often.
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The draft picks would also give Portland a shot at adding another player to the roster should they choose to reshuffle and reload with Lillard. Having options is never a bad thing and Portland would be presented with some if they moved McCollum for picks and a serviceable player in Harris.
