How the Portland Trail Blazers can acquire superstar James Harden

Trade Factor #2 – Do they want to break up the Blazers’ core?

Though the salaries are the most important part when putting a legal trade together, before they get this far, Neil Olshey and the Blazers’ ownership need to decide if they want to break up this team’s core.

This would probably be the biggest decision this franchise has had to make since the trade of Clyde Drexler in the mid-1990s.

Any trade for Harden would certainly have to have CJ McCollum in it. McCollum has been one of the Blazers’ best players of this era, and one of the best shooters in franchise history.

McCollum is in his prime now, but he and Lillard haven’t had a healthy Blazers team in their prime years yet. This probably pains the players and the franchise, as the last time this team was 90 percent healthy, they made the Western Conference Finals in 2019.

But, that was still without Jusuf Niurkic, who was out with a broken leg. Olshey may decide that they don’t want to make a move until he’s seen what this team can do when they are fully healthy.

The other line of thinking is that Harden may want to come to Portland, and because he is unhappy and wants out, the Rockets may have less leverage when making deals.

This could mean that they could get Harden in a trade where they don’t have to give up significant assets.

Imagine if all they had to attach was CJ McCollum and a first-round pick plus matching salary. Or if it was just McCollum and a young player.

Fans are attached to this Blazers core – and it’s easy to see why. This fanbase has been through a lot, and this season they have a team that could potentially challenge the best teams in the league.

A top five to seven player in the league won’t come up in trades very often though. Olshey has to decide whether it’s worth giving away the loyal guys he has drafted or developed over the years to push all the chips in for a title. Is this team as currently constructed, better than a team with James Harden on it?