Why The Portland Trail Blazers Do This Trade

There will undoubtedly be fans that are disappointed at this return package for CJ McCollum. When you go from trade talks possibly involving Ben Simmons to this, that is a natural reaction. While no All-Stars are acquired, this package isn’t as bad when taking a deeper look.

Tim Hardaway Jr. gives Portland some much-needed size on the wing. Damian Lillard, McCollum and Norman Powell are all 6’3” or shorter, which presented some issues defensively. Hardaway can compensate a little better for that, standing 6’5”.

He can slide into McCollum’s spot in the starting five, or come off the bench as a sixth man, extending the team’s rotation and strengthening the second unit, which lost Carmelo Anthony this offseason. Pushing Powell into the starting backcourt would help Portland balance things out as well.

Josh Green is an intriguing wing prospect. He was selected 18th overall in 2020 and could give the team a building block on the wing, something they are lacking. He was a good defender in college, something Portland could certainly use in their rotation.

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Moses Brown had some flashes with the Oklahoma City Thunder last season and will help shore things up in the frontcourt, along with Cody Zeller, behind Jusuf Nurkic.

The first-round pick in 2025 is a nice piece for Portland to acquire. If they are going to enter a rebuild, having extra draft picks is always nice. But, if they were just looking to shake things up and want to compete still, they now have an extra pick to offer in packages to acquire a starting small forward that will help get this team over the hump.