A Kawhi Leonard, 4-team blockbuster trade involving the Miami Heat

Portland Trail Blazers

Following their recent first round postseason sweep at the hands of the New Orleans Pelicans, the Blazers have now failed to move past the second round in five consecutive playoff appearances.

As a result, questions have been asked as to whether the core of the team needs to broken up moving. At the heart of the team has been the backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Now a three-time All-Star, Lillard is fresh off the best season of his career, which was recognized by being selected to the All-NBA First Team. However, his struggles in the postseason were significant, where he shot at just a 35.0 percent clip from the field.

For his part, McCollum just completed his fifth season, and his third consecutive year of averaging at least 20 points per game. One of the premier shooting guards in the league, McCollum’s ability to play both on and off the ball has proven to be a terrific complement alongside Lillard in the backcourt. However unlike Lillard, the 26-year-old McCollum excelled this past postseason, raising his scoring to 25.3 points per game while returning highly impressive .519/.423/.769 shooting splits.

Each under contract for the next three seasons, the time has nearly come for Blazers general manager Neil Olshey and his front office to delve in to the possibility off breaking up this core group. In addition to this backcourt duo, the future of center Jusuf Nurkic must also be addressed. A restricted free agent, Nurkic has shown flashes of brilliance, but similar to Lillard was a non-factor in their unsuccessful playoff run.

So like numerous teams around the league, the Blazers have some serious decisions to make in the coming weeks.