Detroit Pistons: Analyzing a "surprise" trade for CJ McCollum

Detroit Pistons: Analyzing a “surprise” trade for CJ McCollum

DETROIT, MI - FEBRUARY 05: Blake Griffin #23 of the Detroit Pistons drives to the basket in front of CJ McCollum #3 of the Portland Trail Blazers during the an NBA game at Little Caesars Arena on February 5, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. 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. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images) /

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Detroit Pistons (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Does this trade work for the Portland Trail Blazers?

The Portland Trail Blazers bear all the brunt of risk in this deal. They give up a proven iron man in CJ McCollum for a player in Blake Griffin with a shakier injury history and outlook. After injuring his left knee late in the 2018-19 season (a fantastic campaign, by the way, and one of the best of his career), he was never himself in 2019-20 and was shut down for the year before the turn of the new year.

It makes sense for the Blazers to trade McCollum and get a scoring big or wing, because you can only go so far in the NBA when your two best players are guards, but it makes more sense to trade him for a player who can be relied upon for a full season under most circumstances. Unfortunately, that doesn’t really describe Blake Griffin at this point in his career.

The Blazers benefit from a shorter contractual timetable, getting out two years earlier with Griffin than McCollum, and they do get to move up nine spots in this draft, but is this really the draft to move up in? Probably not.

It’s an intriguing deal, but from this writer’s perspective, it’s significantly better for the Pistons than it is for the Blazers.

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