<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cj-1.jpg"><figcaption>CP</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers star CJ McCollum reveals how he lives his life like a shark</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-12T21:04:25-08:00">January 12th, 9:04pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-12T21:04:25-08:00">January 12th, 9:04pm</time><address><a>Virgil Villanueva</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum seems to be in a totally different mindset this season, so much so that he’s been living like a shark–noting that he does nothing but hunt for prey.</p><p>After <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-cj-mccollums-one-emoji-reaction-to-his-skillful-game-winner-vs-raptors/" rel="noopener">hitting the game-winner</a> against the Toronto Raptors on Monday, McCollum spoke to the media and explained why he sees himself as a shark.</p><blockquote>“Sharks just go hunt. They don’t worry about things, they never worry about where they’re gonna get their next meal. They don’t worry about anything. And that’s how I live my life,” the Blazers star <a href="https://twitter.com/trailblazers/status/1348880934024593409" rel="noopener">said</a>.</blockquote><p>CJ McCollum retweeted a clip on how he put Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet on skates through a series of moves, which culminated in a smooth jumper. Note that he captioned it with a shark emoticon, which now seems to be the mantra and persona he lives by.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">🦈 <a href="https://t.co/L30IB7hdgx" target="_blank">https://t.co/L30IB7hdgx</a></p><p>— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1348865691827376131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 12, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>In the Blazers’ 112-11 victory, McCollum finished with a game-high 30 points, along with six rebounds and five assists. He also discussed what was going through his mind when he saw VanVleet defending him.</p><blockquote>“I wanted to get him moving in each direction. VanVleet’s a great defender, but he’s smaller. So you’ve got to move the smaller defender before you move to spots,” McCollum told <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/northwest/trail-blazers/cj-mccollum-finished-raptors-baby-food-move-trail-blazers-win">NBC Sports Northwest</a>. “I was like, ‘I’m gonna get about to 10 feet.’ … And then as my brother would say — ‘baby food’ — finish him off and just go home.”</blockquote><p>The Trail Blazers are now 6-4 and are riding a three-game winning streak. They have a chance to extend it to four games on Wednesday when they face the Sacramento Kings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers star CJ McCollum reveals how he lives his life like a shark

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CJ-McCollum-James-Harden-Blazers.jpg"></figure><h1>CJ McCollum Trade For James Harden? Blazers Should Pass On This Grass</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-12T11:22:28-08:00">January 12th, 11:22am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-12T11:24:32-08:00">January 12th, 11:24am</time><address><a>Nick Angstadt</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Would the world be a better place of the Portland Trail Blazers traded CJ McCollum to the Houston Rockets for James Harden?</p><p>The Portland Trail Blazers are <a href="https://theathletic.com/2284237/2020/12/24/james-harden-trade-rumors-news-celtics-blazers-added-to-preferred-trade-destinations/?source=user-shared-article">reportedly</a> on Harden’s list of preferred destinations if he were to be traded. Pairing Damian Lillard and James Harden together could create one of the most lethal backcourts the game has ever seen, but would it be worth it considering what the Blazers would have to give up in a deal? You know, likely CJ McCollum.</p><p>On the daily <a href="https://buff.ly/38tWUfn">Locked On Blazers Podcast</a>, host <a href="https://buff.ly/38tWUfn">Mike Richman</a> explains why he doesn’t believe the Trail Blazers should go all in and trade CJ McCollum for James Harden right now.</p><blockquote><a href="https://buff.ly/38tWUfn">Mike Richman</a>: The argument for trading for James Harden was that you get this massive talent upgrade and of course you have to sacrifice some chemistry in order to do that. However, if the production level is about even then what you would sacrifice in chemistry and familiarity and other assets you might have to give up to get James Harden becomes a lot less worth it.At this stage, I am not inclined to sell high on CJ McCollum. I’m recording this right after he hit a game-sealing jumper to beat the Toronto Raptors in one of the Blazers’ best wins of the season. It’s in the running with one other game so it’s certainly in the top two, it’s either this or the Lakers game depending on your opinion.After seeing CJ drive down in transition, spin, through the legs, and pull up from 15 for just an insanely difficult shot with the clock ticking under 10 seconds to put the Blazers up one. Maybe I’m a prisoner of the moment but he’s just playing at a level that he’s never been and he has been arguably the Blazers’ best player through 10 games. I am not inclined to a sell-high, I’m more inclined to bank on the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nets-news-kyrie-irving-could-lose-more-than-460000-per-game-due-to-nbas-health-and-safety-protocol-violation/" rel="noopener">Blazers who have built</a> this wonderful chemistry built this duo and if the production is relatively equal to what James Harden is at… and really is right there if you look at the numbers across the board. Harden is not shooting as well but he’s putting up more assists and CJ is edging him in scoring as it is right now. So if the production is about the same, I say ride with CJ because why mess up a good thing?</blockquote><figure class="op-interactive"></figure><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum Trade For James Harden? Blazers Should Pass On This Grass

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/cj2-1.jpg"></figure><h1>CJ McCollum’s one-emoji reaction to his skillful game-winner vs. Raptors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-11T22:38:12-08:00">January 11th, 10:38pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-11T22:38:12-08:00">January 11th, 10:38pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>CJ McCollum has been a beast for the Portland Trail Blazers this season. His impressive campaign has been one of the main reasons why they find themselves in the upper half of the Western Conference.</p><p>On Monday, McCollum came up huge in the clutch as he dazzled his way to a smooth game-winner against the Toronto Raptors.</p><p>After the slim 112-111 win, McCollum took to Twitter and had little to say about his big shot. The high-scoring shooting guard posted a simple shark emoji to perfectly sum up how he expertly made the tough bucket under pressure.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="und">🦈 <a href="https://t.co/L30IB7hdgx" target="_blank">https://t.co/L30IB7hdgx</a></p><p>— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1348865691827376131?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 12, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>After a Raptors miss with just 20 seconds to go in the final period, McCollum asked for the rock and took Fred VanVleet on a ride. With a smaller guy guarding him, the 6’3″ McCollum went deep into his bag of tricks and pulled off a series of moves that had the Raptors guard lost and looking for a map. Spin, cross, step back, fade away, game.</p><p>He finished with a game-high 30 points on 10-of-19 shooting from the field, including 5-of-11 from long range. He also added six rebounds and five assists in yet another all-around display of his skills.</p><p>McCollum, who was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-rumors-cj-mccollum-real-status-james-harden-trade-rumor/">previously involved in trade rumors</a>, registered his third 30-point outing this season as he helped the Trail Blazers improve to 6-4 and tie the Utah Jazz for fourth place in the Western Conference.</p><p>In 10 games, CJ McCollum has been <a href="https://tv5.espn.com/nba/player/gamelog/_/id/2490149/cj-mccollum">averaging an impressive 28.1 points per game</a>, third overall in the NBA behind Bradley Beal and Stephen Curry. He leads the NBA in three-pointers made with 4.9 per outing while shooting at an efficient 44.4 percent clip.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

CJ McCollum’s one-emoji reaction to his skillful game-winner vs. Raptors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/blazers-news-cj-mccollum-shuts-down-narrative-on-stephen-currys-lack-of-support.jpg"><figcaption>ClutchPoints</figcaption></figure><h1>Blazers’ CJ McCollum shuts down narrative on Stephen Curry’s lack of support, defends Warriors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2021-01-02T17:22:39-08:00">January 2nd, 5:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2021-01-02T17:23:14-08:00">January 2nd, 5:23pm</time><address><a>Skyler Carlin</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Golden State Warriors suffered another loss on Friday night to the Portland Trail Blazers, giving the new-look Warriors a 2-3 record to begin the season. Despite fans attempting to say that Stephen Curry doesn’t have much help, CJ McCollum is <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1345275231632429063?s=20">shutting down the idea</a> of Curry having a lack of support.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Bruh stop it lol. Ghey got Wiggins, Kelly , dray coming back from injury and the No. 2 pick. Can’t disrespect those NBA players like that.</p><p>— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) <a href="https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1345275231632429063?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank">January 2, 2021</a></p></blockquote><p></p></figure><p>Coming into the season, one of the biggest questions that needed to be answered was how would the Warriors look without Klay Thompson this season? Just five games in, it’s evident that Golden State sorely misses Thompson due to his ability to command the attention of the defense away from Curry.</p><p>However, as McCollum points out, it’s not like the Warriors are fielding a talentless roster around Curry. Curry is currently surrounded by Andrew Wiggins, Kelly Oubre Jr., Draymond Green, and rookie James Wiseman.</p><p>With that being said, everyone on Golden State’s roster—including Curry himself—has <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/warriors-news-stephen-curry-ex-teammate-explains-struggles/">struggled</a> to find their groove. While Curry is shooting a mere 32.1 percent from three-point range, the Warriors as a team are dead-last in the NBA in three-point percentage (30.6 percent).</p><p>There’s no doubt that Curry is relied upon more than ever by the Warriors with Thompson out and no one else consistently garnering the attention of defenses. The six-time All-Star is accustomed to having at least one other All-Star alongside him that can produce points at a high-level.</p><p>With all three of Golden State’s losses being double-digit deficits, fans have begun to question the talent around Curry. On the other hand, McCollum isn’t trying to downplay the NBA-level talent that the Warriors have outside of Curry.</p><p>The Blazers and CJ McCollum can’t worry about the Warriors too much — Portland’s success and its ability to snag a playoff spot could depend precisely on the inability of Golden State and its depleted roster to finish in the top eight in the Western Conference this NBA season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers’ CJ McCollum shuts down narrative on Stephen Curry’s lack of support, defends Warriors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 18px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px;    font-size: 16px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: #0000FF;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 16px;    text-decoration: none;}ul {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 16px;}ol {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    padding: 0px 0px 0px 15px;    font-size: 16px;    border-left: 2px solid black;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: #333333;    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 12px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;    background-color: #EFEFEF;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article><header><figure><img src="https://clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/cj-1.jpg"></figure><h1>Blazers guard CJ McCollum’s real status in James Harden trade rumor</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2020-12-29T19:01:17-08:00">December 29th, 7:01pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2020-12-29T19:02:17-08:00">December 29th, 7:02pm</time><address><a>Dijo Songco</a></address><h3 class="op-kicker">NBA</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>It’s way past Christmas but James Harden isn’t done with his holiday shopping. The Houston Rockets superstar is making a list (and checking it twice) of possible destinations, given that his time in H-Town is all but done. One of the more recent additions to the former MVP’s list is the Portland Trail Blazers and possibly forming an insane backcourt duo with Damian Lillard.</p><p>Given that the NBA is a business, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/the-best-trade-blazers-can-offer-rockets-for-james-harden/">all signs point</a> to the Blazers letting go of Lillard’s current backcourt partner in CJ McCollum for the deal to even be at all feasible. McCollum himself is even <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blazers-news-cj-mccollum-puts-2-and-2-together-in-response-to-james-harden-adding-portland-to-trade-list/">aware</a> of this. However, per Portland’s president of basketball operations Neil Olshey, McCollum has been and will continue to be unavailable for any deal.</p><p><a href="https://theathletic.com/2285896/2020/12/27/cj-mccollum-and-damian-lillard-address-james-harden-trade-rumors-with-their-play/?source=user_shared_article">Jason Quick of The Athletic</a> reports that Olshey has been adamant about sticking with Lillard and McCollum as the Blazers’ starting backcourt.</p><blockquote>“Years ago, when asked about breaking up the backcourt, Olshey broke from his strict policy of not addressing player contracts or status. He countered with his own question: Why would he break up one of the best backcourts in the NBA?”</blockquote><p>Lillard and McCollum have formed one of the best 1-2 combos in the West for several years now. Though they’ve been rather unsuccessful when it comes to the postseason, it’s quite unthinkable to see these two play for different teams. They’ve developed certain chemistry on and off the court and seem to be set to play out their individual careers in Portland.</p><p>At this point, no one really knows where Harden is going to be within the next few months. But if Olshey’s stand with regards to keeping Dame and CJ in Portland remains solid, it does seem that the Blazers are taking themselves out of Harden’s list.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Blazers guard CJ McCollum’s real status in James Harden trade rumor

Kemba Walker

Rudy Gay

Danny Green

Kelly Oubre Jr.

CJ McCollum

Victor Oladipo

Marc Gasol

Harrison Barnes

Bradley Beal

De'Aaron Fox

2015-16 Most Improved

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1350211121119068160/

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1349608112974544900/

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1349473133154091012/

Trump impeached twice and a trade all in one day. 2021 shaping up to be a great year after all . Blessings

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1349468790057123841/

Right before my nap huh . Most entertaining sport in the business

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1349241447145357313/

Tariq need to just stay with Effie 🤣 finally catching up with power

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1349015924108648449/

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1348497753953820672/

Thank you Kevin Stefanski for engineering this great season with your leadership and ability to put players in the right position to succeed. Thank you players for buying in. S/O to buddy calling plays today. He did his thang. Defense was locked in and out O line was 🔥

https://twitter.com/CJMcCollum/status/1348493597801287680/

Thank you @NickChubb21 for always covering on the over and for being a 🐕. Thank you @Kareemhunt7 for joining the squad and helping create the best backfield in the league ! 2 tuggggs today too 🙏🏽

CJ
McCollum

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