CJ McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers
The 21-31 Portland Trail Blazers are on the verge of collapse this season and they are most likely not going to be in the playoffs for the first-time since 2013.
Damian Lillard just underwent surgery to repair an abdominal injury, leaving his status for the rest of the season in question, and interim GM Joe Cronin is looking to make some moves to set his organization up for future success.
Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic could very much be on the move given that they are in the final year of their contracts and since Portland wants to move below the luxury tax line, but CJ McCollum remains their most prized asset next to Lillard.
McCollum is now in his 9th NBA season with the Portland Trail Blazers and while he has never been an All-Star, he is in the same boat as De’Aaron Fox in terms of being as close to an All-Star as Philadelphia can hope for in a Ben Simmons trade.
LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Latest News & Intel Leading Up To The Trade Deadline
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, CJ McCollum has averaged 22.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.5 assists and has shot 39.2% from three-point range, making him the perfect complimentary No. 2 option next to Joel Embiid in Philadelphia.
He can score from virtually anywhere on the floor and the best thing about McCollum is that he has really turned himself into a reliable facilitator. CJ McCollum has averaged at least 4.0 assists in back-to-back seasons and is doing so once again this year.
Tyrese Maxey could remain the starting point guard for Philadelphia and with the addition of CJ McCollum, they would be able to have more scoring off-the-bench by moving Seth Curry to the second-unit as their “sixth-man”.
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Daryl Morey and the 76ers would love the idea of trading Ben Simmons for Damian Lillard, but they should be quite content to make a move for CJ McCollum instead.
CJ McCollum is under contract through the 2023-24 season and being just 30-years-old, he is someone they can build around in addition to Joel Embiid for the foreseeable future.
