Los Angeles Clippers
Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have made the Los Angeles Clippers real title threats in the Western Conference, but the Clippers are currently without Kawhi and will be without him for the foreseeable future.
The 2-time Finals MVP underwent ACL surgery in the offseason it is hard to imagine that he will be on the floor taking part in team activities before April. Without him, the Los Angeles Clippers have not been terrible and Paul George has led the way for them, but they are currently 11-11 and are starting to look like a middle-of-the-pack team in the West.
Reggie Jackson, Eric Bledsoe, Marcus Morris Sr. and Nic Batum are all solid secondary scorers/talents on this roster, but without Leonard, the Clippers are really missing another high-level threat next to George.
By adding CJ McCollum, they would not only be adding the scoring they are missing with Kawhi out, but Reggie Jackson could become a terrific third scoring option for this team and then when Leonard returns, the Clippers would have one of the best scoring trios in the league with Leonard, George and McCollum.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Blazers Look To Trade CJ McCollum After Firing GM?
The trick to getting this deal done for Los Angeles though is figuring out their cap situation and what Portland would be interested in. While the Clippers are about $31M over the tax line for this season, they could put together a bunch of contracts to add up to the $30.8M McCollum is set to make this year.
Eric Bledsoe ($18.1M), Marcus Morris Sr. ($15.6M), Luke Kennard ($12.7M), Serge Ibaka ($9.7M) and Ivica Zubac ($7.5M) are all players on the Clippers with moveable contracts and Portland could be interested in bringing in some of these guys not only for more depth, but to help make them a better defensive team as well.
Since they would be trading away CJ McCollum, adding Eric Bledsoe next to Damian Lillard may not be a terrible idea and he has always been a solid defender over the years. The same can be said about veterans Marcus Morris and Serge Ibaka as well.
If the Clippers were to go after CJ McCollum, this trade would likely be a multi-team deal that would feature one or two other teams, but getting a deal done between just the Blazers and Clippers is feasible.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Could Blazers Look To Trade CJ McCollum After Firing GM?
The Trail Blazers have everything to lose this year, especially with all the rumors about Damian Lillard’s future with the team, which is why moving on from McCollum is a move that may have to be made, especially given their slow start and drama in their front-office.
