Blazers’ CJ McCollum Drawing Strong Interest From Knicks, Pelicans

The Knicks appear to be a legitimate contender for Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum ahead of Thursday’s trade deadline, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line.

Along with the Knicks, the Pelicans have exhibited strong interest in McCollum, Stein noted. We relayed a similar report last week from Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report, who also wrote of the Pelicans’ potential pursuit of the Portland player.

In a nutshell, the Knicks, Pelicans and Blazers all appear to be incredibly active ahead of the trade deadline — with New York reportedly making the likes of point guard Kemba Walker, guard forward Evan Fournier, center Nerlens Noel and shooting guard Alec Burks available. And that’s really just the start of things for the Knicks.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans have been linked to several opposing veterans, as it seems they are in buying mode ahead of the deadline, continuing their attempts to build around forwards Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson (when healthy).

Multiple reports suggest that guard Josh Hart is available, and that may be a name the Pelicans are floating in any talks for McCollum.

Either way, it appears the Blazers are ready to move on from the McCollum-Damian Lillard backcourt, and they sure aren’t about to trade Lillard. Their deal last week with the Clippers — in which Portland landed Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson and Justise Winslow — was a bit curious, to say the least.

Basically, all three of these teams could afford to make a move, and McCollum could probably afford a change of scenery. Perhaps everyone involved will have a different look by the time next week.