Damian Lillard has been the frontman for the Portland Trail Blazers for quite some time. Together with CJ McCollum, the duo has wreaked havoc in the league for several years. In fact, it was because of their performances that the Trail Blazers made it to the Western Conference finals in the 2018-19 season. This has been the team’s best achievement since the departure of LaMarcus Aldridge to the San Antonio Spurs.

However, this season, the Blazers have been playing at a level that is far from success. With both Lillard and McCollum suffering from injuries this season, the team has won just 21 games and currently sits at 11th place in the Western Conference. As the franchise continues to drop games, and the trade deadline closes in, trade rumors have emerged to indicate a possible rebuild for Portland if they decide to part ways with CJ McCollum.

Portland Trail Blazers highly likely to part ways with CJ McCollum

As the NBA’s trade deadline draws near, many teams will try to strengthen their squads by acquiring players who can help them win games. However, unlike these teams, Portland is likely to go into a rebuild by keeping Damian Lillard and parting ways with CJ McCollum.

As mentioned by ESPN’s Senior NBA Insider, Adrian Wojnarowski, the New York Knicks and the New Orleans Pelicans seem to be highly interested in McCollum. Despite having recovered from a serious lung injury, McCollum continues to perform at a highly consistent level for the Trail Blazers, especially in the absence of Lillard.

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This makes him a precious asset to any team looking to make a playoff run. Added to this, Woj also mentioned that trading away McCollum could reveal a very different-looking Trail Blazers squad indicating a potential rebuild centered around Damian Lillard.

CJ McCollum on the Knicks vs the Pelicans

The New York Knicks have struggled a lot this season. Putting their trust in Julius Randle and RJ Barrett has not seemed to be a good payoff as they currently sit 12th in the Eastern Conference with a 24-30 record.

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However, the addition of McCollum to the Knicks will not just bring in a scoring improvement, but also much-needed leadership for the team, especially due to Barrett’s and Randle’s lack of playoff experience.

If McCollum were to join the Pelicans, the expectations on him would be similar. He would be required to bring the same leadership and scoring ability to lead a young and rising Brandon Ingram, while also partnering with Jonas Valanciunas, who has been a critical piece on this team. The only advantage that the Pelicans bring to the table is they are at the 10th seed in the West despite having won fewer games than the Knicks. This puts them in a position to make the playoffs via the play-in tournament.

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