Portland Trail Blazers Receive: G Victor Oladipo, F/C Myles Turner & IND 2021 1st Round Pick (Top-10 Protected)
Indiana Pacers Receive: G CJ McCollum & F/C Zach Collins
Even though CJ McCollum has been a fan-favorite in Portland for years and has had a lot of success with Damian Lillard, the Trail Blazers’ best chances at winning a title in the Western Conference would be to gather as much talent as possible, which is exactly what they would be doing in this trade.
While he has had some big injuries over the years, Victor Oladipo was an All-Star from 2017-19 and was one of the better two-way guards in the league during that time. Victor Oladipo is owed $21 million this upcoming season and with Portland sending McCollum to Indiana in this trade, Oladipo would come in and play right next to Lillard in the backcourt.
Of course, it would be a significant risk for the Trail Blazers to bring in Oladipo, a guy who has only played in 130 games the last three seasons due to injuries. But, the rewards definitely outweigh the risks in this trade scenario.
Myles Turner is one of the best defensive big men in the NBA and could really help the Trail Blazers on that end of the court, one area they have struggled for years now. Portland has always been a very good offensive team, but defensively is where they have lost key games over the years, as they gave up the 5th most points per game to opponents last season.
In his first five years in the league, Myles Turner has compiled 707 total blocks and led the league in blocked shots during the 2018-19 NBA season. Adding him to be the anchor of this team on defense down low could prove to be very beneficial and offensively, Turner is more than capable of holding his own.
Trading away Oladipo and receiving CJ McCollum would be a big win for the Pacers given Oladipo’s injury concerns over the years and the fact that he may not be the player he once was. The Pacers know what they would be getting with McCollum and having him be one of the featured scorers with TJ Warren and Domantas Sabonis, the Pacers could finally breakthrough in the Eastern Conference and make it past the first round, as they have lost in the first round of the playoffs for five consecutive seasons now.
With all of that being said, let’s take a closer look at this trade and why it would make sense for both the Trail Blazers and Pacers.
