While the Portland Trail Blazers have achieved success in the regular season due to their dynamic duo of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, come playoff time, the team suddenly falters. Are they going to suffer the same fate as other superstar pairings? Will they eventually break up? According to Blazers president Neil Olshey, the tandem won't break up any time soon.
In an interview with Blazers courtside reporter Brooke Olzendam, Olshey assured fans that they intend to keep their core intact — and that includes McCollum and Lillard.
Long term, we have him for the next fours, which gives us a really good runway. We’re keeping the core together, knowing Dame and C.J. have at least three years left on their contracts. And we give that group the best chance to win without impeding our ability long-term in terms of being into a number that’s completely non-liquid.
The Blazers locked the third seed in the Western Conference last season, thanks to a torrid run. In the playoffs, however, they were embarrassingly swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round.
The loss suggested that they might need to tweak their roster a bit more so they can compete. Yet in the offseason, the Blazers have yet to make a blockbuster move. The only significant move they've done so far is signing Jusuf Nurkic to a four-year, $48 million contract. While the Blazers organization wants to keep their dynamic duo in the long run, do McCollum and Lillard feel the same?
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