The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to go through multiple changes in the offseason after another failed playoff run. They already let go coach Terry Stotts and some claim that they’ll be quite active in trade talks.
Given their roster, most people speculated that CJ McCollum was going to be one of the first players to be traded. He’s their best moveable asset besides Damian Lillard, who’ll continue to be the franchise’s centerpiece.
Nonetheless, a report by Brady Akins of AHN Fire Digital stated that the Blazers organization has personally assured McCollum that they won’t be moving him this offseason:
“According to sources, the Trail Blazers have assured McCollum that he will not be traded this offseason. McCollum’s contract around the league has been viewed as a net negative due to his age and high salary,” the report started.
“The eight-year Blazers veteran signed a contract extension leading up to the 2019-20 season and is currently set to earn an average salary of $33 million from Portland over the next three seasons,” Akins concluded.
Holding on to CJ McCollum would be ideal in terms of chemistry and keeping Damian Lillard happy, as they’re both pretty close. However, it may not the best call when it comes to building their roster.
It’s not that McCollum isn’t a great player or that he’s to blame for the Blazers’ struggles in the postseason. He’s been good next to Lillard and their staggered minutes on the backcourt have guaranteed scoring and offensive flow for them.
Nonetheless, the pairing leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to getting stops against playoff teams, let alone the fact that moving CJ McCollum would give them enough pieces and flexibility in return to surround Lillard with the kind of supporting cast that better fits his skillset.
