Portland Trail Blazers: 3 three-team trades for CJ McCollum
By Andy Quach
The New York Knicks land a star courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers and Orlando Magic
Why this trade works for the Portland Trail Blazers:
In this deal, the Portland Trail Blazers are landing a significant amount of depth and a top-10 draft pick to add to their war chest.
Aside from the 2021 NBA Draft selection, Terrence Ross is the crown jewel of this deal. Ross is an incendiary scorer capable of going off for 30 points on any given night. He’ll add a lot of offensive juice to negate the loss of CJ McCollum, while also allowing Norman Powell to slide into his natural position at shooting guard.
Ross isn’t a standout defender, but he’s serviceable enough to significantly upgrade the Blazers defense just by allowing Portland to start a small forward that’s taller than 6’3.
Michael Carter-Williams and Mo Bamba will provide a lot of defense to the bench as well. MCW gives Portland the backup playmaker behind Lillard they’ve been sorely lacking and Bamba adds a vertical spacing dimension the Blazers have missed. If Bamba can turn into a true stretch-five too, the Blazers will be walking away with a steal. Not to mention they’ll have the eighth-overall pick to either add to their depth or use in another deal.
Why this trade works for the Orlando Magic:
The Magic have the framework for a strong rebuild. They have under lock Markelle Fultz, Jonathan Isaac, newly acquired Wendell Carter Jr., and 2020 draft picks Chuma Okeke and Cole Anthony.
In this deal, they add promising combo guard Immanuel Quickley and project Obi Toppin. While they move down to 19th in this year’s draft, they’ll be adding an additional pick in 2022 to help accelerate their rebuild. A starting unit of Fultz, Quickley, Isaac, Okeke, and WCJ, with Anthony and Toppin off the bench, and two first-round picks this year will make for an interesting young team next season.
Why this trade works for the New York Knicks:
This move lands New York the star-level player they’ve been lusting for, while allowing them to retain RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson.
The Knicks rebuild under Leon Rose and Tom Thibodeau got off to a quicker start than they expected thanks to the emergence of Randle and the ascension of Barrett. After experiencing a sample of a return to the postseason, New York is likely hasty to build a true playoff threat.
CJ McCollum gives them a true number one scoring option with experience and helps their future free agency pitches. All they have to give up in exchange is one promising young player, an unconvincing project in Obi Toppin, and a non-lottery pick to land an All-Star level scorer.