Here's how it went, late last night, the Trail Blazers and pelicans struck a deal about CJ McClem, the details of which are as follows!
Trail Blazers sent: CJ McClem, Nance Jr., Snell
Pelicans sent: Josh Hart, Alexander Walker, Satoransky, Silva, a 2022 protected first round and two future second rounds
The deal was made by CJ McClem, who was brought in by the Pelicans for the simple purpose of impacting the playoffs, and for the Blazers, the two-gun band that had been in their nine years was officially disbanded, an era that belonged to this team was over.
After the deal is struck, ESPN reported that the Blazers' current plan is to rebuild entirely around Lillard, and they want to pursue more top talented players this offseason, rather than a mess.
In terms of salary specifically, after this deal, the Blazers created a $21 million trade exception, and got multiple draft picks in the deal with the Clippers and Pelicans, and can create up to $60 million this summer to operate, which is enough to sign a superstar naked.
It is worth mentioning that many fans feel sorry for the departure of CJ McCrom, believing that the Blazers have made another confused deal, but in fact, compared to the last deal to send Powell and Covington, the transaction that sent McCallum seems to be much better evaluated, espnant gave the Blazers A rating.
This statement looks a bit like a scene, but in fact, there is some truth, there are several main reasons:
1, CJ and Lillard do not match, this believes that all fans know that there is a ceiling for the combination of the two, and the farthest has only reached the Western Conference Finals once
2, Covington was once a top 3D, but the decline in the past two years is obvious, although there is a possibility of recovery in the strong team, but at least in the Blazers' performance did not meet expectations
Powell is a good player, but his contract is too long, just signed for five years and 90 million last summer
4, Nance Jr. is also a player with a certain level, but Nance Jr. has not been in good physical condition, missing many games in the past few years
Look at the players left behind by the Blazers:
1, Simmons and Lillard have a good relationship, and this year just played a level, the offseason is basically determined to stay, and the expected contract will not be too big, even if it can not be retained, it can also be used as an asset to trade big players, such as the 76ers Simmons
2, Nurkic is Lillard's old partner, Lillard plays by blocking, Nurkic's level of blocking and dismantling is good, the defense is also excellent, and the contract cost performance is also high
3. Hart's offense is not as good as CJ McClam's, but the defense is good, tough enough, suitable for pairing with Lillard
4. Satoransky is an expiring contract and does not affect the future
So don't misunderstand the Blazers, don't look at them like they are rebuilding, in fact, they have left a back road, after recruiting in this offseason, there is every hope of becoming a strong team again!
Of course, there are also questions, with the Blazers market and the current lineup, only one Lillard can really attract stars? Maybe not necessarily, but, the so-called unbreakable, the Blazers have indeed been stagnant for many years, dismantling the team, really not necessarily a bad idea.