For the first time, I believe the likelihood of McCollum being traded this summer is probable, if not certain.
Because of his contract ($30.8 million in 2021-22, $33.3 million in 2022-23 and $35.8 million in 2023-24) and his talent, McCollum is the quickest and easiest way to improve — or at least shake up — the Blazers. Even Olshey, who has long valued McCollum perhaps more than the rest of the league, seemed to soften his no-trade-CJ stance in his postseason address to the media, saying “nothing is ever off the table if it advances us closer to a championship.” In previous years, any suggestion of trading McCollum was met with scoffs from Olshey and proclamations like, “Why would I break up the best backcourt in the NBA?”
Now, six seasons into the pairing of Lillard and McCollum as the starting backcourt, it’s become apparent they are not the best backcourt in the NBA. Perhaps the biggest blight in the Olshey era has been paying McCollum to be the second All-Star next to Lillard and McCollum never realizing that potential. Lillard and McCollum have produced a .557 winning percentage in the regular season, but have a 15-30 record in the playoffs, which produced just three series wins. And while Lillard has improved or evolved every season, McCollum has largely remained the same player, although in the first 13 games of this season he was playing the best defense of his career, leading the team in scoring, among the leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, and on near-record 3-point shooting pace. But … it was 13 games. Then he broke his foot, missed two months, returned and was good, sometimes very good, but never great again. And most notably, McCollum never made an imprint on this year’s playoff series against Denver despite going against Morris,
Austin Rivers,
Facundo Campazzo and
Markus Howard.
The mystery in the trade-McCollum-chatter is how he is viewed around the league. Internally in Portland, McCollum’s value goes beyond his 3-point shooting and crafty scoring. He is an exceptional worker, is of high character, and has been essential in establishing and maintaining the Blazers’ lauded culture that is based on hard work and respect. And it is often overlooked that for much of the past six seasons he has served as the Blazers’ backup point guard. In the last three seasons, the Blazers offense ranked second, third and third.
The buzz lately has been a straight-up trade for Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, but I’m not sure how a Lillard/Simmons pairing would work. Simmons has been adamant that he sees himself as a playmaker and wants the ball in his hands. Lillard is one of the best pick-and-roll players in the league. I’m not sure pairing them together would be getting the best out of either of them. And as much as I believe Lillard can adapt and work with anyone, I can’t help but remember the last time the Blazers forced two ball-dominant guards to play with each other.
Andre Miller and Brandon Roy — two of the coolest, smartest guards I’ve come across — could never get on the same page. Heck, by the end, they wouldn’t even talk to each other.
Obviously, a move like that would have to come with Lillard’s blessing. Olshey has acknowledged that over the years, any move of note — a trade or free-agent signing — has been first run by Lillard to receive his endorsement. If Lillard thinks Simmons could work, then that’s the type of move that gives the Blazers a chance to make an instant jump because it addresses their biggest weakness: defense. I’ve also heard Boston could be interested in a player like McCollum, and I’ve always thought
Marcus Smart and his defense would be a great pairing in Portland (obviously it would take more to make salaries match, but Smart would be a great start).
McCollum, by the way, has always been afforded much of the same respect as Lillard regarding being consulted on moves and offering input. McCollum told
The Athletic that he has not taken part in any of the coaching interviews, but he did say he has been briefed on the process and kept aware of what’s happening.
“I think they are all good candidates, depending on what you are looking for,” McCollum said.
So McCollum is still being valued within the organization enough to be kept abreast of the coaching search. And maybe the Blazers will wait until a coach is hired to determine what style and what pieces best fit their vision moving forward. But after six years of only modest success with the Lillard and McCollum pairing, and with the pressure mounting on Olshey to make a splash, it feels like McCollum is the most logical and attractive trade bait. The unknown is whether his value around the league coincides with Olshey’s assessment.
