Portland is still mulling offers for guard CJ McCollum. Thus far, the New Orleans Pelicans have seemingly been the most aggressive suitor.
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The Portland Trail Blazers traded Norman Powell and Robert Covington on Friday, but by all accounts, they aren’t done dealing. With the NBA trade deadline looming on Thursday, Portland is still mulling offers for star guard CJ McCollum. Thus far, the New Orleans Pelicans have seemingly been the most aggressive suitor with an offer built around Josh Hart. With three days to go until the buzzer, though, a new team has emerged as a possible destination for the longtime Blazers guard.
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The New York Knicks have entered the fray, according to veteran NBA reporter Marc Stein. Such an addition would inject some sorely needed life into a disappointing season. The Knicks (24-29) are currently in 12th place in the Eastern Conference after earning the No. 4 seed a year ago. Efforts to reinvigorate a lethargic offense last season have largely failed as the Knicks rank 24th on that end of the floor, but their fourth-ranked defense from a year ago has fallen to 13th.
Knicks are not allowed to trade Cam Reddish for CJ McCollum. Salaries don’t match. And Knicks are not allowed to aggregate Reddish, meaning they can trade him, but only solo, not along with other players. https://t.co/sp5TmCuTb4
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) February 8, 2022
McCollum’s shooting and ball-handling would be welcome additions to an offense that, thus far, has grown too reliant on Julius Randle as a primary shot creator. The Knicks have lacked guards capable of creating their own shot since Derrick Rose went down with an ankle injury, but when he returns, adding him and McCollum to the fold would give the Knicks more than enough playmaking to survive offensively. The question is what such a deal would cost.
Randle is the obvious trade chip if Portland wants to compete with Damian Lillard next season. It’s unclear how available he would be or if the Blazers are willing to absorb the four-year extension he signed in the offseason that hasn’t even kicked in yet. The Knicks also have two extra first-round picks in addition to all of their own to offer along with plenty of mid-sized salaries to match money if necessary.
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Portland’s motivation here would be the continued empowerment of breakout guard Anfernee Simons. The Blazers traded Powell in part to give Simons more minutes on the fully healthy roster, and if McCollum is dealt, Simons would presumably become the full-time starter at shooting guard next season with Damian Lillard returning. Simons is a restricted free agent this offseason, and the more money Portland clears in trades now, the easier it will be to re-sign him.
The Knicks and Blazers share common shortcomings. Both built with the intention of winning this season. Neither is close to talented enough to do so. A deal between the two might amount to little more than shuffling deck chairs, but what they have right now isn’t working and revamping their rosters might be their only way to turn things around.
