Portland Trail Blazers: Talking about CJ McCollum to NYK trade rumors
CP: A Randle for CJ swap doesn’t make sense as it feels like a lateral move for the organizations, and to my knowledge, neither player is a locker room problem where their current teams would just be wanting to jettison their player.
AE: They’re better positional fits. Portland needs a forward, and Randle would compliment Lillard and fit with Simons and Lillard. McCollum is an o. New York needs a shooter and primary scorer that can create. McCollum would slide right in with Fournier in New York’s backcourt, Barret could take on more of the offense, and Rose is back in the sixth man role that Thibodeau prefers him in.
They may be a wash in overall contributions. But they would fit the other team’s roster better than their current team. Also, Depending on what’s salaries are going where NYK may have to throw in a fist as well.
Rob Ryan (RR)
Randle for Mccollum makes the most sense, in my opinion. It might seem lateral, but it’s re-allocating talent to a needed position. Randle reminds me a little of Zach Randolph with better defense, and if you had a Randle/Nurkic tandem down low with Dame/Simons/Little spreading the floor and slashing, I think it greatly raises Portland’s ceiling and balances their offensive attack. Probably the most balanced since LaMarcus Aldridge left.
Mccollum taking over as the starting point guard in New York would give him the opportunity to blow up at the position he is actually a better fit for. I think Mccollum is more talented than Randle, and him finally being showcased would actually bring more attention to the Knicks. Randle doesn’t need to be a 24 point-per-game scorer in Portland; he just needs to be an inside presence to help balance the team.