The Portland Trail Blazers have lost 10 of their last 13 games and now just 13-18 on the 2021 NBA season, they are dangerously close to being in the same sentence as the New Orleans Pelicans, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets. The one thing all three of these teams have in common is that this NBA season, they are not playoff threats.
Damian Lillard has remained loyal to Portland and has stated on numerous occasions that he is going to do everything he can with management to ensure success for this roster, but the most success the Blazers have had is a four-game win-streak earlier this season!
They have no consistent scorers outside of maybe Dame and McCollum, their defense is horrific and there just seems to be no fight in this team. Lillard, McCollum, Powell, Covington, and Nurkic are all really solid players in this team’s starting five, but Norman Powell has been inconsistent this season and with both Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic being in the final years of their contracts, it does not seem like their future will be in Portland for much longer.
Moves are going to have to be made this season for Portland to have any chance of bouncing back after their terrible start and interim general manager Joe Cronin could be willing to make some big moves in order to get the “interim” tag taken away. One of which could be trading CJ McCollum.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Blazers Front Office Encouraged After Talks With Lillard, McCollum
Next to Damian Lillard, McCollum has helped shape one of the best backcourts in the league over the last decade or so, but outside of Lillard, CJ McCollum is the player on this roster that carries the most leverage in trade talks.
Being a borderline All-Star, Portland could get a lot in return for him right now, and given both their defensive struggles and lack of overall depth, this is a move that may have to be made in order to save this franchise’s future with Lillard.
Should McCollum become available in trade talks, plenty of teams across the NBA will show interest and try to put their best trade package together for him, but the Indiana Pacers seem like the team with the most interest in someone like CJ McCollum.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Blazers Front Office Encouraged After Talks With Lillard, McCollum
Not only does Indiana need another scorer in their backcourt next to Malcolm Brogdon, but they are a team that has also struggled this season. The Pacers are just 13-18 and on the verge of collapse just like the Portland Trail Blazers. Not to mention, they have shown interest in McCollum in the past.
Both Indiana and Portland need to make a big move ahead of the trade deadline if they are not only going to try and find success this season but moving forward. A rebuild is on the horizon for both NBA franchises, which is why they could help each other out with the following trade proposal.
