NBA: James Harden and 5 other players who most need a trade

5. CJ McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers

Usually, when you think of players that need to be traded, you think of disgruntled stars. This list has a few of them, but the bulk of trades that need to be made involve either players who need to be evacuated from their situation for their own good (Bradley Beal) or who need to be traded elsewhere because of how much better they might fit on another team. For CJ McCollum, he falls in the latter category.

McCollum would be a lead guard and possibly the star of most teams, but that’s an impossibility with the Portland Trail Blazers alongside Damian Lillard. He’s another player who has given no indication of wanting out, and both McCollum and Lillard should be lauded for their relationship, as should the Portland Trail Blazers for the culture that fosters these relationships.

However, for McCollum to truly reach the peak of his own game and tap the potential to win at the highest levels, he’s going to need to do that elsewhere.

Enough of the league has realigned its talent over the last few weeks that it’s a bit tougher to find viable trades now than it would have been last season (the Philadelphia 76ers desperately needed him, but now do not, for example), but a player like CJ McCollum will have a market form instantly if and when he becomes available.