CJ McCollum, who was one of the longest-tenured players in the Western Conference, is changing teams for the first time in his NBA career.
McCollum, who was an outstanding guard alongside Damian Lillard during his time with the Portland Trail Blazers, now has an opportunity to start his next chapter with a much younger core on the New Orleans Pelicans. When superstar Zion Williamson returns from injury, McCollum projects as a very good floor spacer alongside the fantastic interior scorer.
Meanwhile, the Blazers now have an interesting player in Josh Hart (who could be on the move again), they cleared their books and now have more cap space, they created a massive trade exception, and they also have some additional draft capital to work with.
This does not mean that Damian Lillard is about to get traded. But it does have other implications and consequences worth exploring. So who won this deal?