3 Most Likely Trade Destinations for CJ McCollum

Through thick and thin, CJ McCollum has been one of the Portland Trail Blazers' best players once he started breaking out in the 2015-16 NBA season. He's averaged 18.9 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.7 assists in his career so far, however, it's starting to feel like Portland can't win with him.

When the Trail Blazers needed him the most in this year's playoffs, McCollum was nowhere to be found with his shooting percentages taking awful hits. Now, if the team wants to go on a championship run with Damian Lillard, their best bet may be to trade their No. 2 player this offseason. He has three years left on his contract and is slated to have a cap hit of $30.8 million next season.

Here's a look at three most likely trade destinations for McCollum this offseason.

CJ McCollum Trade Destinations

1. Miami Heat

After making a run to the NBA Finals last season, the Miami Heat were swept by the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round this year. They had originally set aside cap space to make a play for Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, but that's off the table ever since he signed his extension with the Milwaukee Bucks. With that being said, they could use a guard of McCollum's offensive capabilities. Goran Dragic is getting older, Tyler Herro regressed and Victor Oladipo is a free agent this offseason. If there was ever a time to trade for a guard of McCollum's caliber, now would be it.

2. New York Knicks

Aside from Julius Randle's $19.8 million cap hit in 2021-22, the New York Knicks don't have any large financial commitments next season. Considering how they came up short against the Atlanta Hawks in the playoffs, it makes sense for them to find another legitimate guard like McCollum. Even if they bring Derrick Rose back, the Knicks should have enough cap space and young pieces to be able to pull off a trade for the 29-year-old.

3. San Antonio Spurs

Heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, the San Antonio Spurs had made the playoffs in 22 straight years. The past two years have begun a playoff drought with the Spurs finishing under .500 in both campaigns. Guards Patty Mills, DeMar DeRozan and forward Rudy Gay all hit unrestricted free agency after next year. That's a lot of money potentially coming off the books for players that haven't equated to much team success in the past two seasons. San Antonio should have enough of a mix of youth and veteran playmakers to clear space for McCollum in trade scenarios.

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