Blazers Receiving Offers That Include High Picks For CJ McCollum

July 23, 2021

Rival teams are offering picks high in the draft in their calls to the Trail Blazers for veteran shooting guard CJ McCollum, according to Jason Quick of the Athletic.

It is not known if the Blazers are making McCollum available, though it appears they are at least listening to offers.

One thing Quick pointed out was the Blazers aren’t exactly interest in rebuilding through the draft. They are in win-now mode with star guard Damian Lillard and new coach Chauncey Billups.

That said, they don’t own a draft pick, having traded it to the Rockets as part of the deal for Robert Covington. So a pick may interest them, but perhaps not in a deal involving McCollum.

The Blazers and McCollum have been linked to the 76ers and available guard/forward Ben Simmons, and while that’s little more than a rumor, some opposing executives think it may eventually be a potential deal that has legs.

McCollum, 29, averaged 23.1 points and 4.7 assists in 47 games this past season. He was drafted by Portland with the No. 10 overall pick in 2013. Like Lillard, he had spent his entire pro career playing for coach Terry Stotts, who mutually parted ways with the team after the season.

McCollum has three years and around $100 million left on his contract. He has said he doesn’t mind being involved in trade rumors.

“Honestly, I don’t take offense to people mentioning me in trades, or saying that I need to be traded, or I should be this or I should be that or my worth is XYZ, because I signed up for this life,” McCollum said on the Pull Up podcast. “I signed up to play sports. I’m thankful for it. I prayed for an opportunity to be in this position since I was a child.

“I dedicate my life, my time, and my soul to this so I’m not offended when people are under the opinion that I should be moved or I should be traded because as I said, I come from a small city in Canton, Ohio where kids would love to be in my position.

“They’d love to be in my position where they get to play for a living. They get to take care of their family, take care of their community, give back, inspire people, so I take it all in stride.”