The New Orleans Pelicans appear to have struck on the trade market, but have they finally landed the scoring guard to unlock the offense?
The Pelicans Tuesday morning were in the process of finalizing a deal for Blazers guard CJ McCollumn, according to a report from Shams Charania of The Athletic. The deal will reportedly involve do-it-all forward Josh Hart and draft compensation.
The 30-year-old shooting guard has been a member of the Blazers since he was drafted with the No. 10 pick in 2013 out of Lehigh, and has formed half of the dynamic backcourt duo with star guard Damian Lillard the past half-decade.
The 6-3, 190-pound McCollum is an elite shooter and scorer, with a career average of 19 points per game, just shy of 40% from 3-point range and 82% from the free throw line, with his averages this season all ticking close to that mark. The Pelicans will be shipping out a player that's put forth one of his best seasons in his own right in Hart, a ferocious rebounder at his size who has turned up his playmaking and slashing abilities since joining the Pelicans.
It's likely the Pelicans will have to include additional names in the deal to match money, with McCollum now in the first of a 3-year, 100,000 contract and an average salary of $33 million. Josh Hart is also in the first year of his deal that pays and average of just over $12.5 million annually, meaning additional salaries will have to be included to reach the threshold to allow a trade. Guard Tomas Satoranksy ($10 million) would mark the most likely name in that case.
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McCollum's name was a popular one heading to the Thursday trade deadline, with multiple teams in the running to acquire his services with the Blazers falling back quickly in the Western Conference standings, losers of five straight. The Pelicans, meanwhile, appear to be loading up for a run at the postseason, bouncing back from a 3-16 start to the season with a record of 18-16 since and overtaking the Blazers this week for the 10th seed that would mark the final position in the play-in tournament.
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