CJ McCollum is happy the Portland Trail Blazers traded Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks. McCollum and Lillard were teammates on the Blazers for many years. The two NBA stars are very close friends.
“I’m really happy for him,” McCollum said, via NBA reporter Aaron Fentress of The Oregonian/OregonLive. “Obviously, things didn’t end probably the way both parties wanted. But in the end, everybody kind of got what they asked for, right? It’s a situation where they add assets, they can kind of build around their young talent and move forward. Dame goes to a contender.”
Lillard wanted the Blazers to trade him to the Miami Heat. However, Portland wasn’t impressed with Miami’s offers for Lillard.
McCollum, who was traded by the Blazers to the New Orleans Pelicans in February 2022, believes Lillard is going to enjoy playing with the Bucks since they have one of the top players in the NBA, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: CJ McCollum, Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
“He’s always talked about the importance of wanting to win a championship,” McCollum said. “Miami would have been great for him and that’s where he wanted to go. But you could argue that this is a better situation in terms of winning a championship than Miami, outside of the taxes and the weather. You get to play with arguably the best player in the NBA.”
“No disrespect to Jimmy and Bam, and that organization, and that roster, but Giannis is different,” McCollum added. “That’s a different guy to play alongside in terms of his dominance. There’s not another guy in the league that dominates the way he does. He’s just the guy that’s really, really hard to guard.”
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: CJ McCollum, Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers, Milwaukee Bucks Updates
Lillard averaged 32.2 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists last season, while Antetokounmpo put up 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game. Many people around the NBA believe the Bucks will win the championship next season.
Want the latest NBA analysis, breaking news, and insider information? Click Here. Follow NBA Analysis Network on Twitter and Facebook.
