Earlier today, the New Orleans Pelicans and the Portland Trail Blazers engaged in a huge trade for none other than CJ McCollum. It had been rumored that McCollum would be traded for a while now, and in the end, the Blazers decided to pull the trigger on a move that looks to solidify their future. In fact, the Blazers got Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Walker-Alexander, Didi Louzada, 2022 protected first-round pick, and two second-round picks as compensation for giving up McCollum.
This is a trade that certainly makes things interesting in Portland, however, this isn't exactly a full rebuild. As Adrian Wojnarowski reports, the Blazers full intend on keeping Damian Lillard next season, and in fact, they have some massive plans for free agency and the draft.
"Portland's plan is to fully reshape roster around Damian Lillard now," Woj wrote. "Portland created a $21M trade exception today, potentially $60M in salary cap space this summer, multiple draft picks and assets via Pels and Clippers trades. Plan is to pursue high-end talent now, not retreat."
Attracting big free agents to Portland is going to be easier said than done, however, the Blazers seem convinced that they can get it done. With this in mind, stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates from around the NBA world.
