The Portland Trail Blazers made the first significant trade in the lead-up to the NBA trade deadline on Thursday. Some around the league reportedly believe they aren’t done, either.
Many executives believe the Blazers will trade guard CJ McCollum either before the deadline or during the summer, according to Michael Scotto of Hoops Hype. McCollum is owed more than $69 million over the next two seasons, and the emergence of Anfernee Simons has made him expendable.
Scotto notes that the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans are among the teams that might have interest in McCollum.
Portland remains committed to building around Damian Lillard, at least for the moment. The question has become how to build around him. Simons’ emergence is clearly a significant factor, as he’s much less expensive than McCollum. If the Blazers can move McCollum, they could get some cap flexibility that might allow them to add more useful pieces around Lillard.
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