NBA Rumors: This Team Views CJ McCollum As "Ideal" Trade Piece

January 31, 2022 ,



CJ McCollum is back. The veteran guard was out for 6 weeks with a collapsed lung, but returned earlier this month, and has been filling it up to the tune of 21.6 points while firing threes at a 49% rate in his 8 games since coming back. 

But with the emergence of Anfernee Simons as a go-to scorer for the Portland Trail Blazers, there's much talk that McCollum could be on his way out. And according to Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, the New Orleans Pelicans could very well be a landing spot.

"The team apparently views McCollum as the potentially ideal veteran scorer and leader to play alongside Brandon Ingram and Williamson," writes Pincus. "According to sources close to the Pelicans, the team is heading into the deadline as a buyer focusing on the 2022-23 campaign."

He also notes that the team has several first-round picks to offer up, including two from the Los Angeles Lakers and two from the Milwaukee Bucks. 

McCollum is 30, and has $100M left on his contract through 2024, so it is a big commitment, but the 6'3" guard seems like the perfect veteran complement to Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson (if the Pels can ever get him back on the court).

The Pelicans are having a disappointing season without their superstar big man, sitting 12th in the West at 18-31.

Photo Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports





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