The Portland Trail Blazers seem to be in a spot the Toronto Raptors know all too well.
Damian Lillard and company have been to the playoffs in each of the last eight seasons but have been unable to get over the edge and into an NBA Finals. The Trail Blazers seem like a mirror Western Conference image of the 2014 to 2018 Raptors, a group of very talented regular season teams that couldn't quite get past LeBron James and into an NBA Finals. Then, in 2018, following another premature playoff exit, Masai Ujiri and Bobby Webster realized things needed to change. They fired Dwayne Casey and sent DeMar DeRozan to San Antonio for Kawhi Leonard.
Portland has already made its first big move of the offseason, parting ways with longtime head coach Terry Stotts. Now, it's time for the Trail Blazers to make another big splash. If Lillard doesn't demand a trade and force his way out, the most obvious move is one involving C.J. McCollum. The soon-to-be 30-year-old guard has averaged over 20 points per game in each of the last six seasons and is one of the best high-volume three-point shooters in the league. He's been a great sidekick to Lillard in the regular season, but for a variety of seasons — mostly on the defensive end — things haven't worked out in the playoffs.
If the Trail Blazers do decide to move McCollum this summer, the Raptors are one of the favorites to reel in the 6-foot-3 shooting guard, according to SportsBetting.ag.
Toronto is +600 to land McCollum if he's traded, implying about a 14% chance he joins the Raptors if he's moved.
McCollum's 30.4 million next season makes it a little bit difficult to picture a trade, especially considering most people around the league reportedly view his contract as having "slightly negative value," according to The Athletic's John Hollinger. If Portland is trying to make a win-now move like the 2018-19 Raptors, a deal with Toronto probably doesn't make the most sense. If, however, they decide to pivot and go the other way, Toronto certainly has the draft pick arsenal to make a move should an opportunity present itself.
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