Reviewing the CJ McCollum-Josh Hart trade one month later

Reviewing the CJ McCollum-Josh Hart trade one month later: Portland Trail Blazers

As mentioned, this trade was widely viewed as a robbery for the New Orleans Pelicans. Most fans on Twitter saw this trade go down and thought the Portland Trail Blazers got nothing in return for CJ McCollum.

This went even further when the Blazers traded Nickeil Alexander-Walker away for pennies on the dollar. And in the grand scheme of things, Alexander-Walker could have gotten some real opportunities in Portland.

However, while the Blazers did end up giving away one of their franchise stars, they actually got a better return than most anticipated, and it could work out well for them in the end.

First and foremost, Josh Hart deserves all the credit in the world. His 44-point performance was great on his own, but the sheer hustle and heart he plays with on a nightly basis will spread throughout the Blazers roster.

This isn’t to say that McCollum doesn’t play with heart, but Hart’s game is (no pun intended) built on heart. He never gives up on a play, is always looking to make the right decision, and is a great perimeter defender.

Plus, this trade opened up minutes for a bunch of young players who are thriving – Trendon Watford, Brandon Williams, CJ Elleby, etc. And it even frees up a bunch of cap space this summer, which was another huge goal of their moves.

So while this deal definitely hurts them in the short-term, this set them up perfectly for a long-term rebuild. But as far as building a great team around Damian Lillard, it probably wasn’t ideal.