CJ McCollum was, and always will be, a Portland Trail Blazer.
He spent the first nine seasons of his career in Rip City after they took a chance on the Lehigh guard with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. The Blazers had success selecting a guard coming out of a small school the year prior in Weber State's Damian Lillard and continued to hit the lottery with McCollum.
In those nine years, CJ averaged 19.0 points, 3.4 assists, and 3.4 rebounds per game on 45/40/82 shooting splits, giving himself a strong case to make as one of the top ten Blazers of all time.
In 2022, the Blazers decided to move on from McCollum, sending him to the New Orleans Pelicans in a seven-player trade headlined by Josh Hart, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and draft capital coming back to Portland.
It was unfortunate, but it was also in the best interest of both McCollum and the Blazers. It became apparent that, despite their regular season success, a Lillard-McCollum backcourt pairing was never going to be the championship formula. Portland retooled around younger and cheaper assets.
Signs point to Pelicans moving on from CJ McCollum
Meanwhile, McCollum went on to have his most productive stretch from a statistical standpoint, averaging 21.1 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.2 rebounds in four seasons with the Pelicans.
Between McCollum, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, Trey Murphy III, and Herb Jones, New Orleans had a stacked roster with enough talent to make a playoff run even in the Western Conference. Unfortunately, their season didn't go according to plan, to put it nicely.
New Orleans was plagued by injuries more than any other team, resulting in a 21-61 record. Given the changed circumstances, they are better off retooling around their young core and incoming draft pick.
Ingram was the first domino to fall at the deadline, but there should be more in what could be a busy offseason for the Pelicans. Andy Quach of Pelican Debrief recently mentioned McCollum as one of four players who can't be part of the next era in New Orleans.
"CJ also happens to be New Orleans's best remaining expendable trade chip. With him slated to hit unrestricted free agency in summer 2026, the time for the Pelicans to trade him and maximize his value will be this offseason, when he can provide a full season of veteran leadership and consistent offensive production for his new team as well as future financial flexibility," wrote Quach.
Although McCollum has been productive in Portland and New Orleans, he needs to find a landing spot that is better equipped to win now. The 33-year-old had another great season, but his window is limited.
His $30.7 million salary is an overpay, but it shouldn't deter teams as much this summer now that he's in the final year of his contract. And, as Quach notes, it's also more incentive for the Pelicans to trade McCollum instead of letting him walk for nothing.
Plenty of teams need more backcourt scoring, secondary playmaking, and a veteran presence to help put them over the top, including the Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Miami Heat, among others.
We wish Rip City's timeline was better aligned for a McCollum reunion to make sense, but they need to be getting rid of veterans, not adding more to the equation.