CJ McCollum and the Portland Trail Blazers have been looking at ways to move on from one another over the past couple of months. The McCollum-Damian Lillard backcourt had run its course, and with the team struggling to get any momentum this season, it has become clear that the Blazers are better off starting a rebuild than doing anything else.
With that in mind, the trade deadline is coming up on Thursday, and to kick things off with a bang, the Blazers are now getting a deal done early. Essentially, McCollum is now moving on from the team, and he will be going to the New Orleans Pelicans in a deal that doesn't exactly inspire much confidence if you are a Blazers fan.
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According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, McCollum is being traded for Josh Hart and some draft picks, which have yet to be determined at this juncture. This is a pretty weak trade if you are the Blazers, but at the end of the day, the objective is to rebuild the team. With that being said, the Blazers could find themselves alienating Damian Lillard, who at this stage in his career, wants to win a ring more than anything else.
The trade deadline will continue this week, so stay tuned to HNHH for all of the latest updates from around the NBA.