The Portland Trail Blazers are not off to the start they had hoped they would get off to in the 2021-22 NBA season. They are 6-8 and look to be a tier below the best teams in the Western Conference.

Even in a season in which the title picture looks wide open, the Trail Blazers are seemingly lagging. They failed to make many changes to the roster during the offseason and it seems to be coming back to bite them now.

Portland still has a below-average defense, but their offense is no longer making up for it. That is making victories tough to come by, especially with Damian Lillard not playing up to his potential. He is dealing with an abdominal injury that he has battled for years, but the rule changes the league made are also seemingly impacting him.

For Portland to make any noise this season, they need Lillard producing as we have gotten used to him doing in recent seasons. Without that, the Trail Blazers aren’t going to be making much noise.

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But, the team could also consider breaking up the backcourt of Lillard and CJ McCollum. They are a dynamic defensive duo, but leave a lot to be desired defensively. Could it finally be time to move on from McCollum?

In this hypothetical trade cooked up over at Bleacher Report, that is exactly what occurs. Check out this deal that lands McCollum in Dallas.