CJ Traded to the Pels!

[GOBlazers]

We're you pushing 40 when you did it?

[Case2012]

Anyone else think it’s pretty petty CJ never said goodbye to PDX fans or thank the city like most stars do? He grew up here, had a lot of fans, got married, had kids, started a business, banked a few hundred million and made countless memories on the court, why is he being salty? Idk, kinda bugs me for some reason.

[GOBlazers]

Anyone else think it’s pretty petty CJ never said goodbye to PDX fans or thank the city like most stars do? He grew up here, had a lot of fans, got married, had kids, started a business, banked a few hundred million and made countless memories on the court, why is he being salty? Idk, kinda bugs me for some reason.

Read on Twitter

[Wizenheimer]

by the way, if Portland can't flip Ingles and waives him after the deadline, he can't re-sign in Utah for a calendar year

I'd wonder if Portland assured Utah they wouldn't waive Ingles. Probably wouldn't matter as he likely wouldn't even be ready to play a year from now. Not at his advanced age of 35

I don't know. I tore my ACL/MCL/PCL three games into a rugby season and came back for training camp the next season, and I"m wasn't a rich pro with personal trainers in my mansion daily to help with the rehab.

maybe, but Jamal Murray is 10 months out from having the same injury and he's 10 years younger

[DusterBuster]

Read on Twitter

As I have said in previous threads, GM's do this in the real world - especially for franchise pillar guys. They get a group of teams who are interested in a player, collect the offers, then present that to the player for him to select his final destination.

Should the same thing happen with Dame, you can guarantee the Blazers will let Dame select his landing spot.

[Case2012]

Anyone else think it’s pretty petty CJ never said goodbye to PDX fans or thank the city like most stars do? He grew up here, had a lot of fans, got married, had kids, started a business, banked a few hundred million and made countless memories on the court, why is he being salty? Idk, kinda bugs me for some reason.

Read on Twitter

I saw that a few days ago… Really screams appreciation. Thousands of people expressed their gratitude for his time here and that’s what his response was? It’s not like it was some shock and he had a role in picking where he went so, Like I said, just seems kind of petty and small but whatever.

[GOBlazers]

Short but sweet!

[The Sebastian Express]

Anyone else think it’s pretty petty CJ never said goodbye to PDX fans or thank the city like most stars do? He grew up here, had a lot of fans, got married, had kids, started a business, banked a few hundred million and made countless memories on the court, why is he being salty? Idk, kinda bugs me for some reason.

Read on Twitter

I saw that a few days ago… Really screams appreciation. Thousands of people expressed their gratitude for his time here and that’s what his response was? It’s not like it was some shock and he had a role in picking where he went so, Like I said, just seems kind of petty and small but whatever.

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/cj-mccollum-portland-trail-blazers-nba-basketball-new-orleans-pelicans

I figured he was writing something like this and he did. I wish we'd show some patience and kindness to guys who get traded, especially those who have been with us for so long, who have to figure out how to move their family (if they're going to) and get situated with their new team, especially when they have a newborn.

He wrote a very touching goodbye that definitely had me tearing up several times.

[mojomarc]

Anyone else think it’s pretty petty CJ never said goodbye to PDX fans or thank the city like most stars do? He grew up here, had a lot of fans, got married, had kids, started a business, banked a few hundred million and made countless memories on the court, why is he being salty? Idk, kinda bugs me for some reason.

Spoke too soon...

[Wizenheimer]

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/cj-mccollum-portland-trail-blazers-nba-basketball-new-orleans-pelicans

I figured he was writing something like this and he did. I wish we'd show some patience and kindness to guys who get traded, especially those who have been with us for so long, who have to figure out how to move their family (if they're going to) and get situated with their new team, especially when they have a newborn.

He wrote a very touching goodbye that definitely had me tearing up several times.

when the report surfaced that the Blazers worked to accommodate CJ's wishes, I saw some comments along the lines of 'that's a bad policy; Portland should maximize the return'. In a way, I guess maybe that's true but it would make for a really cold world. But anybody thinking that way needs to read that letter from CJ. That kind of testimonial to the front office from a prominent player, especially the head of the player's union, is valuable. Not all returns from a trade have to be assets. There can be some valuable good will too. I think the Blazers received some with the way they handled trading CJ. CJ's agent, and agency, will remember, so will other players, and that might pay-off in the future. And even if it doesn't it's a moral way to conduct business

[zzaj]

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/cj-mccollum-portland-trail-blazers-nba-basketball-new-orleans-pelicans

I figured he was writing something like this and he did. I wish we'd show some patience and kindness to guys who get traded, especially those who have been with us for so long, who have to figure out how to move their family (if they're going to) and get situated with their new team, especially when they have a newborn.

He wrote a very touching goodbye that definitely had me tearing up several times.

when the report surfaced that the Blazers worked to accommodate CJ's wishes, I saw some comments along the lines of 'that's a bad policy; Portland should maximize the return'. In a way, I guess maybe that's true but it would make for a really cold world. But anybody thinking that way needs to read that letter from CJ. That kind of testimonial to the front office from a prominent player, especially the head of the player's union, is valuable. Not all returns from a trade have to be assets. There can be some valuable good will too. I think the Blazers received some with the way they handled trading CJ. CJ's agent, and agency, will remember, so will other players, and that might pay-off in the future. And even if it doesn't it's a moral way to conduct business

100%...

As we all know in business, there is short-term return, and there is long-term return. It's easy for all of us to get high opinions on the outside--without truly any understanding or experience of how the NBA inner workings actually function. It's a blind spot for all of us.

I'm glad CJ got to be in a situation that was at least partially on his terms. I hope he does well there...

[PDXKnight]

https://www.theplayerstribune.com/posts/cj-mccollum-portland-trail-blazers-nba-basketball-new-orleans-pelicans

I figured he was writing something like this and he did. I wish we'd show some patience and kindness to guys who get traded, especially those who have been with us for so long, who have to figure out how to move their family (if they're going to) and get situated with their new team, especially when they have a newborn.

He wrote a very touching goodbye that definitely had me tearing up several times.

when the report surfaced that the Blazers worked to accommodate CJ's wishes, I saw some comments along the lines of 'that's a bad policy; Portland should maximize the return'. In a way, I guess maybe that's true but it would make for a really cold world. But anybody thinking that way needs to read that letter from CJ. That kind of testimonial to the front office from a prominent player, especially the head of the player's union, is valuable. Not all returns from a trade have to be assets. There can be some valuable good will too. I think the Blazers received some with the way they handled trading CJ. CJ's agent, and agency, will remember, so will other players, and that might pay-off in the future. And even if it doesn't it's a moral way to conduct business

I don’t think the good will makes portland any more attractive a fa destination so i’m not sure we really gain much here. I suppose for me the deciding factor is what we turned down to accommodate cj. If the offers were close i’m ok with it but if we could’ve returned significantly more, like quite possibly in the case of norm, i think we have reason to be upset about that trade

[Wizenheimer]

I don’t think the good will makes portland any more attractive a fa destination so i’m not sure we really gain much here. I suppose for me the deciding factor is what we turned down to accommodate cj. If the offers were close i’m ok with it but if we could’ve returned significantly more, like quite possibly in the case of norm, i think we have reason to be upset about that trade

sure...if Philly was offering Simmons for CJ; or Dallas was offering Dorian Finney-Smith and a 1st; or another team was offering a guaranteed lottery pick and a future 1st, then Portland probably hurt themselves by refusing. But I think it's pretty clear none of those trades were offered

What New Orleans sent for CJ was a potential lottery pick and Josh Hart; and Hart is making nearly 20M less than CJ this year and next. Now, the Blazers also sent out Nance, but lets be clear about his value: he has skills, but he is an injury-prone PF who happens to have another knee injury requiring surgery and is out for the season. He doesn't have much value at all. Yet, the Pels allowed Portland to send Nance for their TPE, essentially shedding around 15M dollars in this year's cap and 35M in next year's cap

but that's not quite all. The Blazers also received Joe Ingles and two prospect wings. Personally, I think the odds are stacked against any of them ever being significant contributers, but they could represent cheap 13th-15th men on the rosters. And I suppose there'a an outside chance that Ingles could re-sign and contribute. I'm not sure how effective he'd be at 35 coming back from ACL surgery, but who knows

but more than that is Portland also received three 2nd round picks in the non-simultaneous trades. Those can always grease the wheels of a significant trade

in summary, it was:

CJ + Nance + Snell

for

Hart + Ingles + Louzada + Hughes + the potential Pels 2022 lottery pick (and a 2025 1st if not) + three 2nd round picks + 50M in cap relief over the next season and a half

I'm sorry, but all things considered that's a good trade for Portland
************************************************************************

the Clippers trade is another matter. That one is just crap from whatever angle you look at it; except for maybe one. The return was really weak, although the way Winslow has been playing improves the perspective quite a bit. Still not enough to justify the trade though. It is even weak at cap-relief as it only save the Blazers 6M next season

making it not only worse, but suspicious, is how friendly that trade was to the Clippers. They improved quite a bit, at least on paper (only are 1-3 since the trade), and they didn't have to give up much at all to do so. I'll ask again, what was the point of dealing Powell and RoCo to a team that had no 1st round picks to trade till 2028? The Seattle connections are hard to ignore

but sure, it could be that after convincing Norm to re-sign with Portland, Cronin and the Blazers felt an obligation to look out for him so they sent him home. I can fault the trade return without faulting the sentiment of trading Powell home. Trading RoCo for essentially nothing after spending Ariza and two 1st's to get him was just a painful reminder of Olshey's incompetence....as if this year's pre-deadline roster wan't enough of a reminder

[Blazinaway]

Clippers - we already won the Roco/Winslow exchange IMO. Winslow 4 mil this yr and next and he is as good or better than Roco who was an expiring as well. So the other part was Powell for Bledsoe's mostly expiring and last yrs 21 st pick and a 2025 2nd. For now I will agree we could have gotten more for Powell, but let's see if we get anything for the cap savings - lopsided trade etc and how Keon pans out.

[PDXKnight]

I don’t think the good will makes portland any more attractive a fa destination so i’m not sure we really gain much here. I suppose for me the deciding factor is what we turned down to accommodate cj. If the offers were close i’m ok with it but if we could’ve returned significantly more, like quite possibly in the case of norm, i think we have reason to be upset about that trade

sure...if Philly was offering Simmons for CJ; or Dallas was offering Dorian Finney-Smith and a 1st; or another team was offering a guaranteed lottery pick and a future 1st, then Portland probably hurt themselves by refusing. But I think it's pretty clear none of those trades were offered

What New Orleans sent for CJ was a potential lottery pick and Josh Hart; and Hart is making nearly 20M less than CJ this year and next. Now, the Blazers also sent out Nance, but lets be clear about his value: he has skills, but he is an injury-prone PF who happens to have another knee injury requiring surgery and is out for the season. He doesn't have much value at all. Yet, the Pels allowed Portland to send Nance for their TPE, essentially shedding around 15M dollars in this year's cap and 35M in next year's cap

but that's not quite all. The Blazers also received Joe Ingles and two prospect wings. Personally, I think the odds are stacked against any of them ever being significant contributers, but they could represent cheap 13th-15th men on the rosters. And I suppose there'a an outside chance that Ingles could re-sign and contribute. I'm not sure how effective he'd be at 35 coming back from ACL surgery, but who knows

but more than that is Portland also received three 2nd round picks in the non-simultaneous trades. Those can always grease the wheels of a significant trade

in summary, it was:

CJ + Nance + Snell

for

Hart + Ingles + Louzada + Hughes + the potential Pels 2022 lottery pick (and a 2025 1st if not) + three 2nd round picks + 50M in cap relief over the next season and a half

I'm sorry, but all things considered that's a good trade for Portland
************************************************************************

the Clippers trade is another matter. That one is just crap from whatever angle you look at it; except for maybe one. The return was really weak, although the way Winslow has been playing improves the perspective quite a bit. Still not enough to justify the trade though. It is even weak at cap-relief as it only save the Blazers 6M next season

making it not only worse, but suspicious, is how friendly that trade was to the Clippers. They improved quite a bit, at least on paper (only are 1-3 since the trade), and they didn't have to give up much at all to do so. I'll ask again, what was the point of dealing Powell and RoCo to a team that had no 1st round picks to trade till 2028? The Seattle connections are hard to ignore

but sure, it could be that after convincing Norm to re-sign with Portland, Cronin and the Blazers felt an obligation to look out for him so they sent him home. I can fault the trade return without faulting the sentiment of trading Powell home. Trading RoCo for essentially nothing after spending Ariza and two 1st's to get him was just a painful reminder of Olshey's incompetence....as if this year's pre-deadline roster wan't enough of a reminder

To be fair i think the cj return was fair, not complaining about that one bit, was just using the hypothetical if but indeed on paper i’m happy with that trade especially if that pick improves or stays where it is which might very well happen given the adjustment period for cj and no’s schedule looks challenging to finish out the season.

Powell trade is my biggest gripe by far. Don’t know what we were thinking there but it seems even worse than dealing trent for norm in the first place which also looks horrendous in hindsight

[Blazinaway]

I don’t think the good will makes portland any more attractive a fa destination so i’m not sure we really gain much here. I suppose for me the deciding factor is what we turned down to accommodate cj. If the offers were close i’m ok with it but if we could’ve returned significantly more, like quite possibly in the case of norm, i think we have reason to be upset about that trade

sure...if Philly was offering Simmons for CJ; or Dallas was offering Dorian Finney-Smith and a 1st; or another team was offering a guaranteed lottery pick and a future 1st, then Portland probably hurt themselves by refusing. But I think it's pretty clear none of those trades were offered

What New Orleans sent for CJ was a potential lottery pick and Josh Hart; and Hart is making nearly 20M less than CJ this year and next. Now, the Blazers also sent out Nance, but lets be clear about his value: he has skills, but he is an injury-prone PF who happens to have another knee injury requiring surgery and is out for the season. He doesn't have much value at all. Yet, the Pels allowed Portland to send Nance for their TPE, essentially shedding around 15M dollars in this year's cap and 35M in next year's cap

but that's not quite all. The Blazers also received Joe Ingles and two prospect wings. Personally, I think the odds are stacked against any of them ever being significant contributers, but they could represent cheap 13th-15th men on the rosters. And I suppose there'a an outside chance that Ingles could re-sign and contribute. I'm not sure how effective he'd be at 35 coming back from ACL surgery, but who knows

but more than that is Portland also received three 2nd round picks in the non-simultaneous trades. Those can always grease the wheels of a significant trade

in summary, it was:

CJ + Nance + Snell

for

Hart + Ingles + Louzada + Hughes + the potential Pels 2022 lottery pick (and a 2025 1st if not) + three 2nd round picks + 50M in cap relief over the next season and a half

I'm sorry, but all things considered that's a good trade for Portland
************************************************************************

the Clippers trade is another matter. That one is just crap from whatever angle you look at it; except for maybe one. The return was really weak, although the way Winslow has been playing improves the perspective quite a bit. Still not enough to justify the trade though. It is even weak at cap-relief as it only save the Blazers 6M next season

making it not only worse, but suspicious, is how friendly that trade was to the Clippers. They improved quite a bit, at least on paper (only are 1-3 since the trade), and they didn't have to give up much at all to do so. I'll ask again, what was the point of dealing Powell and RoCo to a team that had no 1st round picks to trade till 2028? The Seattle connections are hard to ignore

but sure, it could be that after convincing Norm to re-sign with Portland, Cronin and the Blazers felt an obligation to look out for him so they sent him home. I can fault the trade return without faulting the sentiment of trading Powell home. Trading RoCo for essentially nothing after spending Ariza and two 1st's to get him was just a painful reminder of Olshey's incompetence....as if this year's pre-deadline roster wan't enough of a reminder

To be fair i think the cj return was fair, not complaining about that one bit, was just using the hypothetical if but indeed on paper i’m happy with that trade especially if that pick improves or stays where it is which might very well happen given the adjustment period for cj and no’s schedule looks challenging to finish out the season.

Powell trade is my biggest gripe by far. Don’t know what we were thinking there but it seems even worse than dealing trent for norm in the first place which also looks horrendous in hindsight

Am curious what people think would have been a "fair" Powell trade with Clips or anyone else - who could/should we have got assuming another team wanted Powell?

[PDXKnight]

sure...if Philly was offering Simmons for CJ; or Dallas was offering Dorian Finney-Smith and a 1st; or another team was offering a guaranteed lottery pick and a future 1st, then Portland probably hurt themselves by refusing. But I think it's pretty clear none of those trades were offered

What New Orleans sent for CJ was a potential lottery pick and Josh Hart; and Hart is making nearly 20M less than CJ this year and next. Now, the Blazers also sent out Nance, but lets be clear about his value: he has skills, but he is an injury-prone PF who happens to have another knee injury requiring surgery and is out for the season. He doesn't have much value at all. Yet, the Pels allowed Portland to send Nance for their TPE, essentially shedding around 15M dollars in this year's cap and 35M in next year's cap

but that's not quite all. The Blazers also received Joe Ingles and two prospect wings. Personally, I think the odds are stacked against any of them ever being significant contributers, but they could represent cheap 13th-15th men on the rosters. And I suppose there'a an outside chance that Ingles could re-sign and contribute. I'm not sure how effective he'd be at 35 coming back from ACL surgery, but who knows

but more than that is Portland also received three 2nd round picks in the non-simultaneous trades. Those can always grease the wheels of a significant trade

in summary, it was:

CJ + Nance + Snell

for

Hart + Ingles + Louzada + Hughes + the potential Pels 2022 lottery pick (and a 2025 1st if not) + three 2nd round picks + 50M in cap relief over the next season and a half

I'm sorry, but all things considered that's a good trade for Portland
************************************************************************

the Clippers trade is another matter. That one is just crap from whatever angle you look at it; except for maybe one. The return was really weak, although the way Winslow has been playing improves the perspective quite a bit. Still not enough to justify the trade though. It is even weak at cap-relief as it only save the Blazers 6M next season

making it not only worse, but suspicious, is how friendly that trade was to the Clippers. They improved quite a bit, at least on paper (only are 1-3 since the trade), and they didn't have to give up much at all to do so. I'll ask again, what was the point of dealing Powell and RoCo to a team that had no 1st round picks to trade till 2028? The Seattle connections are hard to ignore

but sure, it could be that after convincing Norm to re-sign with Portland, Cronin and the Blazers felt an obligation to look out for him so they sent him home. I can fault the trade return without faulting the sentiment of trading Powell home. Trading RoCo for essentially nothing after spending Ariza and two 1st's to get him was just a painful reminder of Olshey's incompetence....as if this year's pre-deadline roster wan't enough of a reminder

To be fair i think the cj return was fair, not complaining about that one bit, was just using the hypothetical if but indeed on paper i’m happy with that trade especially if that pick improves or stays where it is which might very well happen given the adjustment period for cj and no’s schedule looks challenging to finish out the season.

Powell trade is my biggest gripe by far. Don’t know what we were thinking there but it seems even worse than dealing trent for norm in the first place which also looks horrendous in hindsight

Am curious what people think would have been a "fair" Powell trade with Clips or anyone else - who could/should we have got assuming another team wanted Powell?

I would’ve liked a first, preferably 2 given that his contract was much easier on the cap than cj but at least with one first it would be a b-c level “acceptable” trade rather than an outright f grade

[Case2012]

Anyone else think it’s pretty petty CJ never said goodbye to PDX fans or thank the city like most stars do? He grew up here, had a lot of fans, got married, had kids, started a business, banked a few hundred million and made countless memories on the court, why is he being salty? Idk, kinda bugs me for some reason.

Spoke too soon...

Hey, I waited 2 days, way to rub it in Marc.

[JasonStern]

Am curious what people think would have been a "fair" Powell trade with Clips or anyone else - who could/should we have got assuming another team wanted Powell?

A 28 year old 21ppg shooting guard that can play some time at the 3? Sure as ish more than a 2025 2nd round pick.

And now the Blazers have to replace that productivity without receiving the assets to replace that productivity.

As I have repeatedly stated, the CJ trade had to happen. As I stated in the Eating Crow thread on the T&T board:

Really didn't see the Blazers blowing it up mid-season. Honestly expected them to limp into the playoffs with a 41-41 record as a 7th or 8th seed and for Dame/CJ to get swept by the Warriors again - but competitively! No blow outs, so moral victory? Maybe they trade Covington or Nance for a cheaper player to get under the luxury tax - but not a full blow-up.

The off-season was when I expected everything to blow up. Nurkić and Covington UFAs. Simons due for an extension. Dame/CJ/Powell taking up something like 69% of the luxury tax level. No 1st round talent this year due to the Nance trade. No 1st round talent the last 2 years due to the Covington trade.

A reset on some level was definitely going to have to happen. Portland just always seemed complacent. And had they not fired Olshey mid-season, this probably is what would have happened. And next season would be some terrible piecemeal team where the Blazers are relying on minimum contract players like Enes Freedom to play 40 minutes a night, stubbornly holding on to the Dame/CJ back court at the expense of Powell and Simons.

This is why I really don't get the NAW for another 2nd round pick move. In a pinch, does everyone really believe that all 29 other teams wouldn't take him for free if the Blazers needed to shed salary? Why not give him a chance to prove himself on this makeshift roster?

[Blazinaway]

Am curious what people think would have been a "fair" Powell trade with Clips or anyone else - who could/should we have got assuming another team wanted Powell?

A 28 year old 21ppg shooting guard that can play some time at the 3? Sure as ish more than a 2025 2nd round pick.

And now the Blazers have to replace that productivity without receiving the assets to replace that productivity.

As I have repeatedly stated, the CJ trade had to happen. As I stated in the Eating Crow thread on the T&T board:

Really didn't see the Blazers blowing it up mid-season. Honestly expected them to limp into the playoffs with a 41-41 record as a 7th or 8th seed and for Dame/CJ to get swept by the Warriors again - but competitively! No blow outs, so moral victory? Maybe they trade Covington or Nance for a cheaper player to get under the luxury tax - but not a full blow-up.

The off-season was when I expected everything to blow up. Nurkić and Covington UFAs. Simons due for an extension. Dame/CJ/Powell taking up something like 69% of the luxury tax level. No 1st round talent this year due to the Nance trade. No 1st round talent the last 2 years due to the Covington trade.

A reset on some level was definitely going to have to happen. Portland just always seemed complacent. And had they not fired Olshey mid-season, this probably is what would have happened. And next season would be some terrible piecemeal team where the Blazers are relying on minimum contract players like Enes Freedom to play 40 minutes a night, stubbornly holding on to the Dame/CJ back court at the expense of Powell and Simons.

This is why I really don't get the NAW for another 2nd round pick move. In a pinch, does everyone really believe that all 29 other teams wouldn't take him for free if the Blazers needed to shed salary? Why not give him a chance to prove himself on this makeshift roster?

My guess is given that we were (after trades) young guard heavy with Keon, NAW, and louzida, that at least one had to go. NAW cost 5 mil next yr and its his last yr on rookie deal. I thought I remember reading Cronin liked Keon at last yrs draft and he's in his first yr of rookie deal and has had little opportunity so they chose him to stay and we did get Hughes back LOL so in essence we got yet another youngin back.