What the Norman Powell trade means for the New Orleans Pelicans
What’s next for the Portland Trail Blazers?
The Clippers clearly won this trade player-wise, as Portland was desperate to get out of the luxury tax and wanted to shed some contracts.
This could be a sign that the Blazers are ready to blow it up completely, or just that they know they aren’t winning anything this season and don’t want to pay a premium for a team that is going nowhere.
The Pels have been connected to CJ McCollum in rumors and if Portland is really going to blow it up and build around Damian Lillard, Anfernee Simons and the pieces, then trading McCollum seems like the next logical move.
Why a CJ McCollum trade is the right move for the Pelicans. light. Related Story
Of course, the writing has been on the wall for the Lillard/McCollum pairing for quite some time, and Portland still hasn’t traded either one of them, so I would never rule out that they are going to keep their veteran backcourt together.
But the Powell move does seem like a sign of more to come, and even if Portland isn’t involved, the New Orleans Pelicans could be on the cusp of a big move.