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Portland Trail Blazers: 3 bold predictions for 2018-19 NBA season

By Simon Smith

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 30: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers and CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the national anthem before the game against the LA Clippers on January 30, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 30: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers and CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the national anthem before the game against the LA Clippers on January 30, 2018 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

2. CJ McCollum will be traded

Having come up short yet again in the postseason, thoughts of how to improve the roster moving forward immediately sprung to mind.

Not for the first time, the names of their two best players, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, are usually at the forefront of discussions. On the eve of their first-round playoff sweep, Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer posted the following:

Considering the season he just produced, and being the overall face of the franchise, it’s extremely unlikely Lillard gets moved. That leaves McCollum, who at 27 is entering the prime of his career. In terms of moving on from McCollum, O’Connor suggested the following in his piece:

"“If I were [Neil] Olshey, I would aim to acquire a lockdown defensive wing or forward who can shoot 3s, a complementary scoring guard or wing to replace McCollum, and a lottery pick. If he’s able to dump a salary (Turner’s or Leonard’s), even better. It’s a lot to ask for, but McCollum is signed through the 2020-21 season, so the Blazers are operating from a position of leverage.”"

Naturally, the Blazers will certainly commence the season full of optimism, hoping they can learn from their most recent playoff embarrassment. However, with 11 of the Blazers’ first 16 games of the season being against playoff teams from last season, and a further three of those games against the revitalized Los Angeles Lakers, early trade talks could be a real possibility in Rip City if things don’t start in the right manner.

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