NBA Trade Rumors: McCollum, Simmons, Clippers, Cavaliers, Draft, Simons

CJ McCollum arrived in New Orleans at this year’s trade deadline, leaving the only franchise he’s ever known in Portland. It’s safe to say that the move has worked out with the shooting guard declaring that he would like to retire as a member of the Pelicans.

“I’m not going nowhere,” McCollum said (via Marc J Spears of Andscape). “Leave for what? I want to retire here. I’m 30 years old and I have a son who is 13 weeks old. I’m married. When you have something good, you hold on to it. This is something fun for both sides. We’re going to grow. I’m still learning the city. I’m going to find a house.”

McCollum still has two years left on his three-year, $100 million extension that he signed while still a member of the Blazers.

More NBA Trade Rumors

Are the Clippers the best fit for Ben Simmons if the Nets look to trade him this summer? We examined what a realistic trade sending the former No. 1 pick to Los Angeles would look like with Brooklyn receiving veteran depth, including Reggie Jackson, along with a future first-round pick.
The Cavaliers have their first-round pick in the 2022 draft, though Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer wonders whether the franchise should use it in a trade to acquire another rotation player. President of basketball operations Koby Altman previously indicated that he wouldn’t mind adding another young player to this core. “There’s nothing wrong with having another young player that you can develop,” he said. “I don’t want to say, ‘Let’s trade it again and get somebody else.’ I think there’s a nice niche here for a young prospect to really grow without a ton of expectation and grow into potentially a rotational player who can help down the road.”
What direction are the Blazers going to take this offseason? Bobby Marks of ESPN.com writes that the franchise has the resources to make their “rebuild” happen rather fast. It could start with re-signing both Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic while using their exceptions ($20.9 million trade exception; $10.3 MLE) to add additional talent.
ICYMI: Some around the league believe the Cavaliers will end up bringing back Ricky Rubio, who will be a free agent after tearing an ACL this past season in Cleveland.