Dennis Smith Jr.’s presence could open up more possible trades for the Portland Trail Blazers
Again, the Portland Trail Blazers have a boatload of guards, but the lack of a second primary ballhandler makes CJ McCollum’s ability to moonlight as a backup point guard a necessity for this roster.
Most of the guards on the team—Anfernee Simons, Tony Snell, Ben McLemore, CJ Elleby, and Nassir Little—offer almost nothing in the playmaking department. None of those players would be able to replicate that part of McCollum’s game with any amount of increased minutes or opportunities next season.
If DSJ ends up making the team, it makes the idea of parting with CJ or one of Portland’s other guards more digestible a loss.
There’s been hints that the Blazers are loading up to make a significant change (like trading for Larry Nance Jr.) and signing Dennis Smith Jr. could be the latest one.
Increased opportunity for Norman Powell along with whoever Portland brings back in a CJ trade would mitigate the loss of McCollum’s offensive production. Signing DSJ to run the second unit offense negates CJ’s loss as a secondary playmaker.
It’s not a guarantee that General Manager Neil Olshey plans on trading CJ McCollum at any point this year, but adding Smith Jr. to the 2021-2022 roster would certainly make it a more manageable move.