Portland Trail Blazers trade #1 – Pascal Siakam for CJ McCollum
The Blazers have one proper power forward in the roster now, in Larry Nance Jr, who can come off the bench. But, they are still one forward away from being a true contender in the West.
In Pascal Siakam, a forward that is part of the re-building Toronto Raptors, there is an opportunity to potentially trade for an All-Star caliber forward who can shoot, pass and defend.
Siakam hasn’t been the same the last year or two as he has dealt with injuries while also being asked to do so much heavy lifting in the Raptors offense. Siakam is better as a number two option on an NBA team. He is an excellent player on both ends of the court, but he ranks somewhere between the 15th and 30th best player in the league. As a number two, he could thrive in Portland.
McCollum isn’t a great fit in Toronto, but Siakam is in Portland.
The Blazers need for a true starting power forward is real. They need a post-up presence who can hit the offensive glass, finish well at the rim and get to the line. Siakam’s shooting numbers have been down the last year or two, but he can space the floor at good levels if he has the passers, and floor spacers around him to succeed.
Siakam is a guy who can also defend multiple positions. Though it’s mainly threes and fours, he is a great defender and would give the Blazers a guy who can defend the bigger and stronger threes and fours in the league. Playing off Lillard, Siakam would get plenty of mismatches and opportunities to attack in transition.
This deal would be straight up or a three-team trade so McCollum could end up elsewhere if the Raptors didn’t think he was an ideal fit for them if they were re-building.