CJ McCollum to the Dallas Mavericks
“Can Luka Doncic get some help?” is a question that I’ve constantly uttered to my TV when watching the Dallas Mavericks play. The Mavericks continue to finish as one of the highest-rated offenses in the NBA (finished top 10 in offensive efficiency in each of the past two seasons) despite having a mediocre roster around Doncic.
It’s apparent that the experiment of Kristaps Porzingis on the Mavericks is reaching its end, and it’s time to find Doncic a true No. 2 option. Porzingis just isn’t the same player he once was due to knee injuries, and the Latvian big man’s role on the team continues to dwindle down. Instead of finding a star power forward to pair with Doncic, Dallas should be in the market for a shooting guard or wing that can excel with the superstar point-forward.
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The Portland Trail Blazers are on the brink of elimination after falling to the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the first round series despite Lillard producing a historic 55-point performance in a double overtime defeat. If Portland were to lose in the first round, it would mark the fifth time in the last seven years that they were ousted in the first round of the postseason. That could mean that changes are coming.
Even though it would be nice to see Lillard get an opportunity to play for a contender, it’s more likely that we see CJ McCollum dealt this offseason. McCollum came into the NBA a year after Lillard and would become Lillard’s running mate early in his career. While McCollum has performed well as the second fiddle to Lillard, the Trail Blazers might have no option but to try something different.
Being able to acquire McCollum would be massive for the Mavericks, giving more spacing on the floor for Doncic, which is never a bad thing. Also, McCollum would insert another player that could score on his own and create for others, taking some pressure off of Doncic’s shoulders. A trade for McCollum could include Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and draft picks. Portland would likely hope to include a third team so they wouldn’t have to take on Porzingis’s contract, allowing them to shed salary and accumulate draft picks.
