Why This Trade Makes Sense For The Indiana Pacers
The biggest reason why this trade makes sense for the Indiana Pacers is that they would not have to worry anymore. There would be no questions about Oladipo’s future or his health because he would not be their problem anymore.
Bringing in CJ McCollum, who has proven to be an elite-level scorer over the years, and pairing him with T.J. Warren and Domantas Sabonis would be lethal in the Eastern Conference. They would have three big-time scorers they can turn to at any moment for immediate offensive production and in a weaker Eastern Conference, they could contend with the best of the best.
Having two elite players makes you a legit playoff team in today’s NBA, but having three elite players and a legit trio makes you a championship contender. For a Pacers franchise that has failed to make it past the first-round of the playoffs for the last 5 seasons, adding McCollum to their roster would finally push them over the edge.
Getting Zach Collins is also an under-the-radar acquisition that could help them a lot moving forward. In his three years in the NBA, Zach Collins has averaged 5.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and has shot 44.4% from the floor and 32.4% from three-point range. Before getting injured last year, Collins was having the best season of his career and was shooting as high as 37% from three-point range!
Every year that he has been in the league, he has been getting better and better on both ends of the court and next to Domantas Sabonis, the Pacers could really do some damage with this kind of length and versatility in their frontcourt.
Trading away Myles Turner would be the only question mark about this potential trade as the Pacers really like his two-dimensional play he brings to the table night-in and night-out, but by getting a player like CJ McCollum in return, it could mean a deeper run in the postseason for Portland.
It makes more sense to trade for McCollum than it does to hold onto Victor Oladipo, which is why the Pacers should do everything they can to trade Oladipo while his value is high.
