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PORTLAND, OR – MAY 9: CJ McCollum (3) of the Portland Trail Blazers licks his chops during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, May 9, 2019. The Denver Nuggets versus the Portland Trail Blazers in game six of the teams’ second round NBA playoff series at the Moda Center in Portland. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
Getty
PORTLAND, OR – MAY 9: CJ McCollum (3) of the Portland Trail Blazers licks his chops during the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, May 9, 2019. The Denver Nuggets versus the Portland Trail Blazers in game six of the teams’ second round NBA playoff series at the Moda Center in Portland. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images)
The NBA free agency is beginning on November 20, 2020, right after the NBA Drafts. Naturally, the trade rumors are at their peak right now. One such rumor is swirling around the name of Blazers star CJ McCollum and his possible move to the Rockets.
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The league went berserk with the breaking of the news that earlier suggested Russell Westbrook demanded to be let go from the Rockets. This further solidified the claim by a few NBA analysts who foresee a deal between the Rockets and the Blazers. But how true is the talk?
Blazers’ star made a mockery out of the claims
Recently, CJ McCollum took to Twitter and dropped a post that made every trade talk seem baseless. He found a post from a verified source and retweeted it with his reaction. Later, center Jusuf Nurkic joined the bandwagon and commented on the same.
In the video, an NBA analyst had expressed, “Portland, you know you can’t get back to finals with your current backward. But, CJ McCollum, knockdown shooter the Rockets need, Zach Collins, he’s not in your center rotation, not with Nurkic and Whiteside, the Rockets need a center. Money works, what about that?”
Now, talking about the Blazers’ backyard, these are the same pieces that helped them reach the WC finals in 2019. CJ McCollum was instrumental in the NBA Playoffs 2020, where he averaged 23.2 points at 44.4% FG. Why would the Blazers want to let go of him? Moreover, Zach is more of a starting power forward for them and not a center, so the other claim can also be challenged.
damn😂😂😂😂😂
— Jusuf Nurkić (@bosnianbeast27) November 13, 2020
What does CJ McCollum’s contract say?
The Blazers drafted CJ in 2013 and he saw his rookie contract extension in 2016 when the star guard signed a $106 million 4-year contract. Not just that. This past year, he received another extension with a $100 million 3-year deal. The Rip City clearly loves his services and would probably not want to trade him.
For the past five seasons, he has been a consistent performer and a force from the perimeter. As much as the Rockets might want this trade, the Blazers can show reluctance. At least with the Twitter reaction, this gets proved.
