Report: Trail Blazers 'Not Actively Shopping' CJ McCollum
Damian Lillard's public mandate for roster change, or else, would cause many league decision-makers to turn over every possible stone of team-building. After three solid signings for the minimum and retaining Norman Powell at market value, though, the Trail Blazers are apparently satisfied with their offseason moves, Lillard's discontent be damned.
According to Jason Quick of The Athletic, Portland isn't "actively" seeking out trades for CJ McCollum and is comfortable going into next season with him on the roster.
But it sounds like Portland is not actively shopping McCollum. I don’t know whether that is because Portland doesn’t agree with how teams value McCollum, or whether Neil Olshey is overly infatuated with him, but the general tone I’ve heard is the Blazers won’t move him just to have a different look next season. The trade has to make them better, and so far, other teams haven’t met that bar.
This latest intel aligns with all recent momentum regarding the Blazers' state of flux.
Theoretical trades for McCollum were a popular NBA parlor game in the aftermath of Portland's elimination from the playoffs, and grew even more ubiquitous when Ben Simmons became available. After Lillard went on the record demanding an upgraded supporting cast lest he force his way from the Blazers, a McCollum trade seemed all but inevitable.
Olshey, however, has maintained since his season-ending presser that Portland could run it back with the same core in 2021-22. All previous reporting in wake of Lillard's non-trade request suggested the Blazers weren't feeling the sense of urgency to improve the supporting their franchise player tried to put on them, either.
But it's not just a prospective McCollum trade that Portland isn't seriously considering. The Athletic also reports the Blazers have no surefire plans to use the taxpayer mid-level exception, their most lucrative means of outside spending in free agency.
The Blazers still have the taxpayer midlevel exception ($5.9 million) but do not have any urgency to sign any of the players left on the market, so they likely won’t use the TPMLE immediately, keeping their roster at 13 for the moment.
Kelly Oubre, previously mentioned as a Portland target with the tpMLE, was even courted by Damian Lillard, according to The Athletic, but ultimately signed a deal with the New Orleans Pelicans for twice as much annually. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports reported on Wednesday that the Blazers were also interested in Paul Millsap with the mini mid-level.
A short, unimpressive list of viable candidates for the tpMLE indeed makes sense as one of the reasons why Portland may not use it. The other? The Blazers still sit a few million dollars below the luxury tax line and could fill out the remainder of the roster without crossing it, saving a relatively minor a hit to Jody Allen's wallet.
Obviously, a passive approach to the offseason isn't what Lillard wants. We'll see how long he stays patient if Portland doesn't make a real roster splash before tipoff of 2021-22.