Celtics reportedly ‘could be interested’ in Portland’s C.J. McCollum; would a trade make sense?

Would swapping guards be a boon to both teams?

Could the Boston Celtics have a trade in mind for Portland Trail Blazers veteran guard C.J. McCollum? Perhaps not, but there’s interest in the Blazers guard in Boston according to The Athletic’s Jason Quick.

On the surface, after dealing away their starting point guard Kemba Walker, such a move would make sense if the Celtics could assemble an offer that interests the Trail Blazers’ front office. But that’s where the easy part stops and the brass tacks begin, and it is not clear that Boston has the right assets, that Portland would be disposed to such a move, and that the team won’t want to try out veteran guard Marcus Smart at the point for a while as well.

However, given Smart is eligible for an extension, if he elects to try the open market, he may well find himself moved simply out of concern for asset protection on a team that has seen significant talent drain in such a way over the last several seasons.