Damian Lillard isn't going anywhere. But as the February 10th trade deadline fast approaches, the prevailing assumption had been that the Portland Trail Blazers would actively seek deals for pretty much any other player on the roster—especially the veterans that have long comprised this team's core. Don't tell that to Jusuf Nurkic, though.
In a sprawling feature story by Jason Quick of The Athletic on his recent strides with Lillard sidelined, Nurkic revealed that Joe Cronin told him shortly after taking the reins as the team's interim GM that Portland's defacto “Big Three” of he, Lillard and McCollum would remain intact going forward.
“Joe talked to me first, which was kind of nice,” Nurkic recalled. “When he took over, it was refreshing. He said, ‘You are here to stay. We are going to try and improve the team as much as possible and we are going to build around you, Dame and CJ, and hopefully, we find a way to do that.”
Robert Covington is the Blazer most likely to be dealt before the deadline, a reality of his positional value, expiring contract and the team needing to shed just over $3 million in salary to duck the luxury tax this season. Norman Powell has reportedly been made available as well, and contending teams in need of help up front have no doubt inquired about Larry Nance Jr.
But McCollum and Nurkic are still this team's two biggest trade dominoes, the players whose prospective departures would lead to the personnel and stylistic overhaul Cronin forecasted for the Blazers during his introductory press conference on December 6th.
Indeed, Bleacher Report's Jake Fischer reported earlier this week that both players are on the trade market. The New Orleans Pelicans are reportedly interested in McCollum, while discussions between Portland and the Indiana Pacers regarding Myles Turner apparently once had “strong momentum”—a potential deal that would cinch Nurkic's exit via trade or free agency come July.
Nurkic, for his part, is fully confident he'll remain in Rip City past the trade deadline and beyond. Like The Bosnian Beast reiterated last summer, he wants to be a Blazer as long as Lillard is.
“Nothing is 100 percent, but I feel like for the team, and who I think I am as a player, there is no way I’m leaving [in a trade],” Nurkic said. “I don’t see anything possible. Obviously, I want to be part of this organization as long as Dame is, and as long as we want to win.”
Much of that zeal to continue his career in Portland stems from Nurkic's increased offensive role with Lillard and the Blazers' other guards out over the past few weeks.
Nurkic is averaging 17.5 points, 13.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game in January, with a usage rate of 26%, per NBA.com/stats, three points higher than his season-long mark. His efficiency has been curtailed by that uptick in production, though, with Nurkic's 53.5 true shooting percentage this month falling comfortably below league-average.
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