Indiana Pacers Receive: G CJ McCollum
Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G Malcolm Brogdon, G/F Kenrich Williams, IND 2023 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)
Oklahoma City Thunder Receive: G/F Jeremy Lamb, MIA 2022 2nd Round Pick (via IND)
A swap of Malcolm Brogdon for CJ McCollum could actually go pretty smoothly, that is, if all sides of this trade are interested.
The Portland Trail Blazers made some key moves this offseason in not only extending Norman Powell’s contract but bringing in the likes of Cody Zeller, Tony Snell, Ben McLemore, and Larry Nance Jr., but there is a genuine amount of concern that Damian Lillard could look to go elsewhere soon.
Lillard is under-contract through the 2024-25 season, but the All-Star point guard wants to win, and he is unsure if he can do this with the Blazers. Now 31-years-old, contending for a championship is something Dame would like to do, and with him being in the prime of his career right now, there may not be many opportunities for him to do so with the Blazers.
The Blazers need to do everything they can to turn their team into a real title contender, and moving McCollum may be a move they have to make to try and do so. In terms of talent, CJ McCollum is a little bit of a better offensive threat than Malcolm Brogdon, but Brogdon is definitely a much better defensive player, making him a key talent for Portland to add.
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Last season, Portland ranked 29th in defensive rating, and that is an area they desperately need to better themselves in if they want to have a chance to contend for a title in the Western Conference. Robert Covington, Norman Powell, and Larry Nance Jr. are all solid defenders. Still, the addition of Malcolm Brogdon would give this team the reliable perimeter defender and scorer they need next to Lillard.
For Indiana, if they were to move Brogdon, they would do so with the intent of getting a better offensive talent back, and they would be doing so by adding CJ McCollum. Before injuring his foot last season, McCollum was putting up All-Star-like numbers, and he finished the year averaging 23.1 points, 4.7 assists, and shooting 40.2% from three-point range.
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Next to the likes of Domantas Sabonis, Caris LeVert, and TJ Warren, CJ McCollum could really thrive in this Indiana Pacers’ system and elevate himself to being a No. 1 scoring option for a change, since he has always been the “Robin” to Damian Lillard’s “Batman” in Portland over the years.
As for Oklahoma City? They get a draft pick from this trade and a larger contract, which they need to try and reach the league minimum salary floor for the 2021-22 season. GM Sam Presti loves his draft picks, so why not add another second-round pick for the 2022 draft! Now, let’s look at this deal from each team’s perspective to see if we could truly end up seeing this swap.
