If CJ were to be traded, who are we most likely to get?

Let's hope this article is absolute bullshit. Neil better be gauging CJ's value and like he said in his news conference, everyone should be on the table. If we can get Simmons for CJ... I just can't believe that we don't pull the trigger on that.

 

Hmmm ... but no report that they've assured Dame that he won't be traded ... the handwriting is on the wall .........

 

Yeah they're just waiting until they no longer need Dame as a consultant for the head coach hiring process.

 

Wow, Quick thinks it’s a certainty CJ gets traded. Mentions the Simmons possibility, but questioned the fit, and also said Boston is interested and threw out Smart as a possible target who would fit well with Dame. I agree, although there would need to be more coming back just to make the money work.

 

Any direct quotes?

 

I don't get most of your logic. You do know to trade CJ for anybody they are going to have to be superior player. If anyone thinks Anfernee is going to fill them shoes, your wrong. The only way a trade makes any sense id if we get a forward who can play outstanding "D" and pop in about 15 ppg. That is it....there is no other trade that makes sense. We are not going to trade him for another guard...it is a push. We don't need another center assuming we retain Collins, Kanter and Nurk. To me there is only one choice...a good low post player who can score off the block and can shoot the three and can shut down opposing teams offense. Basically a younger LA would be a good choice...or close maybe? Norman is a beast...we have to keep him if possible. Great ability to shoot the 3 and keep defense honest and he finishes at the rim (very unlike Aminu use to NOT do). I have to be honest...I thought this years team was built to win but once again, defensive woes killed that dream. That is the only area we need to improve in as far as I am concerned.

peace out,
daddylogan

 

I don't know that they necessarily need to get a superior player in a trade. It would be great if they did, but what they need is better balance. They have one of the premier back court players in the league. Duplicating some of those offensive skills doesn't really help us. A lengthy forward who could defend, make a pass, and hit an outside shot once in a while would be a welcome change...especially if you can re-sign Powell.

 

i did think of this, being Curry is Doc’s son-in-law and all, but business is business and they need CJ and if we are to take on Simmons - it’s gonna cost them Curry!

 

For the first time, I believe the likelihood of McCollum being traded this summer is probable, if not certain.

Because of his contract ($30.8 million in 2021-22, $33.3 million in 2022-23 and $35.8 million in 2023-24) and his talent, McCollum is the quickest and easiest way to improve — or at least shake up — the Blazers. Even Olshey, who has long valued McCollum perhaps more than the rest of the league, seemed to soften his no-trade-CJ stance in his postseason address to the media, saying “nothing is ever off the table if it advances us closer to a championship.” In previous years, any suggestion of trading McCollum was met with scoffs from Olshey and proclamations like, “Why would I break up the best backcourt in the NBA?”

Now, six seasons into the pairing of Lillard and McCollum as the starting backcourt, it’s become apparent they are not the best backcourt in the NBA. Perhaps the biggest blight in the Olshey era has been paying McCollum to be the second All-Star next to Lillard and McCollum never realizing that potential. Lillard and McCollum have produced a .557 winning percentage in the regular season, but have a 15-30 record in the playoffs, which produced just three series wins. And while Lillard has improved or evolved every season, McCollum has largely remained the same player, although in the first 13 games of this season he was playing the best defense of his career, leading the team in scoring, among the leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, and on near-record 3-point shooting pace. But … it was 13 games. Then he broke his foot, missed two months, returned and was good, sometimes very good, but never great again. And most notably, McCollum never made an imprint on this year’s playoff series against Denver despite going against Morris, Austin Rivers, Facundo Campazzo and Markus Howard.

The mystery in the trade-McCollum-chatter is how he is viewed around the league. Internally in Portland, McCollum’s value goes beyond his 3-point shooting and crafty scoring. He is an exceptional worker, is of high character, and has been essential in establishing and maintaining the Blazers’ lauded culture that is based on hard work and respect. And it is often overlooked that for much of the past six seasons he has served as the Blazers’ backup point guard. In the last three seasons, the Blazers offense ranked second, third and third.

The buzz lately has been a straight-up trade for Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, but I’m not sure how a Lillard/Simmons pairing would work. Simmons has been adamant that he sees himself as a playmaker and wants the ball in his hands. Lillard is one of the best pick-and-roll players in the league. I’m not sure pairing them together would be getting the best out of either of them. And as much as I believe Lillard can adapt and work with anyone, I can’t help but remember the last time the Blazers forced two ball-dominant guards to play with each other. Andre Miller and Brandon Roy — two of the coolest, smartest guards I’ve come across — could never get on the same page. Heck, by the end, they wouldn’t even talk to each other.

Obviously, a move like that would have to come with Lillard’s blessing. Olshey has acknowledged that over the years, any move of note — a trade or free-agent signing — has been first run by Lillard to receive his endorsement. If Lillard thinks Simmons could work, then that’s the type of move that gives the Blazers a chance to make an instant jump because it addresses their biggest weakness: defense. I’ve also heard Boston could be interested in a player like McCollum, and I’ve always thought Marcus Smart and his defense would be a great pairing in Portland (obviously it would take more to make salaries match, but Smart would be a great start).

McCollum, by the way, has always been afforded much of the same respect as Lillard regarding being consulted on moves and offering input. McCollum told The Athletic that he has not taken part in any of the coaching interviews, but he did say he has been briefed on the process and kept aware of what’s happening.

“I think they are all good candidates, depending on what you are looking for,” McCollum said.

So McCollum is still being valued within the organization enough to be kept abreast of the coaching search. And maybe the Blazers will wait until a coach is hired to determine what style and what pieces best fit their vision moving forward. But after six years of only modest success with the Lillard and McCollum pairing, and with the pressure mounting on Olshey to make a splash, it feels like McCollum is the most logical and attractive trade bait. The unknown is whether his value around the league coincides with Olshey’s assessment.

 

he also said CJ was being apprised of the coaching interview process.

mixed messages.

 

Tatum/Brown/CJ might be nice. CJ finally the 3rd guy. I really don’t see what they have to make it work though if Brown isn’t involved.

 

yes i don't think it can work as well. Brown is much better so they wouldn't give him up for CJ and Smart is not enough to make us better. If they had some of those high picks of previous years maybe we could take them on to flip them, but now it's very difficult to find a good trade with the Celtics.

 

The more I learn about Simmons the less I like him. If a player is going to want to take the ball out of Dame's hands, and is going to cop an attitude if he doesn't, that's a hard no.

 

Can we take the problem/bad contract that Bledsoe is out of the Pelicans' hands by giving up CJ+DJJ+1st for Ingram? If reports that Zion is unhappy and wants to win now are true they really need a guard with CJ's skillset and he would be great next to Lonzo as he can cover his defensive issues.

Bledsoe we can either try to trade ourselves or use him as our backup guard that can also be a good defender.

Lillard/Bledsoe
Powell/Simons
Ingram/Little
Covington
Nurkic/Collins

 

You guys reading and listening to Jason Quick? Isn't this the same guy that the Blazers specifically do not talk to? Isn't this the writer that has continuously been wrong about pretty much everything he has wrote about the Blazers? Of course he has hit a few things that were pretty certain but this guy seems like a bit of a "Click Bait" writer?

 

jason quick doesnt sugarcoat things and i like it, i cant stand ass lickers

and neil olshey would fit really well in north korea

 

That was pretty much all his pre-Athletic days. He’s the only reporter covering the blazers worth reading.

 

Come on, folks... Mannix is likely reporting what he is hearing from his sources, but his sources are being fed a load of bull.

This reads exactly like Doc and Morey the day following the Sixers' epic collapse: "if everyone believes we have to trade our asset, our asset has little-to-no value."

I know we like hating on Neil, but this is silly.

 

No, no, no, no! Tell me this isn't true. Powell will not stay if CJ stays. This will be a disaster. Does Olshey really believe his own bullshit that the roster was fine and it was all on the coach?

 

So your saying he's changed. He's not the same man. Reformed. The Blazers still will not talk to this man. That is one thing that has not changed.

I'm glad Jason Quick has become a beacon of integrity and honesty. Still some wounds never heal.