OKC Thunder Receive: G CJ McCollum

Portland Trail Blazers Receive: F Al Horford, G/F Luguentz Dort, GSW 2021 1st Round Pick (via OKC), OKC 2021 1st Round Pick

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 have a big decision to make about the future of their organization, especially if this team cannot break through and make the NBA Finals this season. 

Sure, they have had a lot of regular season success with their dominant backcourt duo of Lillard and McCollum, but Portland’s management and ownership wants to see progress with this roster and over their last seven playoff appearances, they have made the Western Conference Finals just once. 

CJ McCollum has always been known as Damian Lillard’s “sidekick” and while he is a great player in his own right, he will never get the recognition he deserves as long as he is in the shadow of Lillard in Portland. As a result, McCollum has never been named an NBA All-Star, even though he performs better than guys who have earned such an honor, and will never be more than a “second scoring option.” 

Portland also lacks draft assets over the years, which is another reason why this trade could be attractive to them. Oklahoma City has the draft assets to offer any trade Portland would want for McCollum, or even Lillard, which is why a trade like this could hypothetically work. 

Oklahoma City just acquired Al Horford in the offseason and while he has been a solid contributor for them, the veteran forward is not in their long-term plans. Luguentz Dort on the other hand is a player the OKC Thunder absolutely love and he has a tremendous upside as a two-way player in this NBA, which is why they would likely have to trade him as well if they were to get CJ McCollum.

Overall, there are some major benefits to making this trade for both teams, so let’s take a closer look as to why this trade makes sense for both the Portland Trail Blazers and the OKC Thunder.