With just a few days until the NBA trade deadline, Knicks rumors have begun to pick up some heat with the team being linked to a few different names.
One of the newer names being linked to NY is Portland Trailblazers guard CJ McCollum.
In his substack “The Stein Line”, NBA insider Marc Stein reported Monday morning that the Knicks have a legitimate interest in McCollum.
Knicks Rumors: Will they go after CJ McCollum?
This trade deadline is going to be interesting for NY, who could be buyers or sellers, and for a player like CJ McCollum, that could potentially make them a buyer/seller wrapped into one trade.
The Blazers are reeling, and after shipping off Norman Powell to the Clippers (who they just re-signed this offseason) some believe that the floodgates could begin to open, and McCollum seems to be the next logical piece to be traded away.
There’s a lot to look at with McCollum and how this trade would work.
First off — What would this trade look like? Is this something that can legitimately be done?
Knicks Rumors: CJ McCollum mock trade
This may seem like hardly anything to get for a perennial 20 point-per-game combo guard, but this feels like the reality of the situation. We actually have some really relevant precedent in place.
The first piece of evidence being the Norman Powell trade that happened just a few days ago.
In exchange for Powell and Robert Covington, the Blazers received Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a 2025 2nd round pick.
Although Powell is an inferior player to McCollum, he’s owed less annual and is 2 years younger.
In a report from Eric Pinson of Bleacher Report at the start of January, he stated that some executives around the NBA viewed McCollum as a “negative asset”.
McCollum, who has battled some injuries in recent years after being an incredibly durable player for most of his career, is under contract through 2023-24 at a cap hit of around 33 mil per year.
For the Blazers, I could see them wanting to pry a younger Knick into the trade, and while I can’t imagine former first-round picks Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, or Quentin Grimes to get involved, Miles McBride or Jericho Sims could be thrown in.
Essentially, the Blazers are getting shorter-term money, hence why Fournier isn’t in this deal.
Walker is just on a 2 year deal, and the 3rd year of both Noel and Burks’ contracts are team options — so they are all really expiring contracts next season. Easy contracts to move.
Even with the trade package not being anything monumental, is this something the Knicks should still consider?
Knicks Rumors: Is CJ McCollum worth it?
I’ll say this — I’m not sure I even agree with the assessment that McCollum is a “negative asset”. You’re still talking about a really great, playmaking combo guard who has years left of his prime.
There are plenty of worse players in the NBA who have mammoth cap hits.
This could kill 2 birds in one stone for NY — they get rid of 3 rotation players who have not just been struggling, but they’ve obstructed the playing time of some of the team’s younger players. They also actually land an impact combo guard who could fit in quite well.
McCollum is a flawed player, but would certainly be the most dynamic perimeter player on the team. He’s played alongside Damian Lillard for his whole NBA career, but when he’s played point guard in the past, he’s excelled.
For what it’s worth, CJ McCollum is also president of the player’s union, which is really a full-time job that has placed him as the voice of the players. He’s by all accounts, a terrific leader and someone with plenty of great relationships around the NBA.
If the trade I had proposed on the last slide were the deal on the table, I think I would go for it.
With all of the Knicks rumors that have circulated, this one seems pretty reasonable and a potential upgrade.
Still, that doesn’t mean this is without risk. If I’m the Knicks, it’s certainly not a trade I would include any of their younger players in.
McCollum is more “fringe all-star” than he is a star.
This trade would give the Knicks a rotation of established vets in their prime (Randle, McCollum, Fournier) playing alongside the younger players (Barrett, Quickley, Reddish, Grimes, Robinson).
Would you take the risk and make a move for McCollum?