Boston Celtics: Pros and cons of Cs trading for CJ McCollum

Though the 2021 NBA offseason started out as the Boston Celtics show, these last few weeks for the Portland Trail Blazers have been nothing short of hectic.

After the Denver Nuggets and Nikola Jokic ended their season, Lillard took to Instagram to stir the pot. He hinted that his frustration has grown with the Trail Blazers, which set fire to the NBA’s media group the next day.

Everyone and their mother were posting mock trades for their team to land the superstar point guard — yes, this includes us at the Houdini.

A week passed, and more reports surfaced, this time saying Lillard was committed to running it back in Oregon. NBA fans and general manager’s heads began to spin; no one knew what Lillard wanted.

Naturally, speculation about Lillard’s teammate’s futures came about, specifically regarding his running mate, CJ McCollum.

Multiple teams have pondered giving Portland a call about Lillard, including the Sixers, Heat, and Knicks.

This article, however, will be about whether or not the Boston Celtics should put themselves in the running for the seventh-year guard out of Lehigh.

Let’s kick it off with the pros of bringing in McCollum:

Pros of the Boston Celtics trading for CJ McCollum

First and foremost, let’s get to know CJ McCollum as a player.

As far as McCollum’s standards go, he had another excellent season on the Blazers as he and Lillard attempted to secure a playoff spot in the competitive Western Conference.

He averaged 23.1 points per game and 4.7 assists per game on a 57.7 true shooting percentage. He shot 59.6 percent at the rim, 50 percent from midrange, and 40.2 percent from three on an All-Star caliber volume.

Despite playing next to one of the league’s premier playmakers, only 30 percent of McCollum’s two-pointers were assisted, and only 61.5 percent of his 3-pointers were assisted.

He had six 30+ point games, twenty 25+ point games, and nineteen games below his season average of 23.1 points per game.

He had twenty-six games where he shot above his average true shooting percentage of 57.7 and twenty-one games where he shot below his average.

He had only one run where he did not make a 3-pointer and nine games in which he did not get to the free-throw line.

McCollum ranked in the 88th percentile in isolation, in the 83rd percentile as a pick and roll ball handler, and in the 98th percentile on spot-up plays.

He averaged 8.1 drives per game and scored 6.1 points per game on them. He shot 47.6 percent on 3.1 catch and shoot triples per game and 49.1 percent on overall catch and shoot attempts.

What does all that mean?

McCollum is an elite jump shooter, shot creator, off-ball shooter, and capable passer.

He has done an excellent job playing off one of the most ball-dominant point guards in the league, and he has no problem working with bigs.

McCollum can come off the pick, pull up, drive to the rim, and throw up a lob. He has the touch, handles, speed, and creativity to get to his spot or create a shot for one of Boston’s other players.

He would fit just fine next to Tatum and Brown while also helping out Williams and Horford. He is the perfect guy to lead Ime Udoka’s bench units, and he’s the ideal shot maker to have on the wings when one of Boston’s best players drives to the basket.

McCollum has also been to the playoffs every season of his career, and he’s gone deep.

Not including his rookie playoff numbers, McCollum has put up 22.3 points per game and 3.1 assists per game on 39 percent shooting from downtown in his last 51 playoff games, spanning seven years.

He has knocked down series-defining shots, made multiple game-winning plays, and shown that he is built for the big stage time and time again next to Lillard. His playoff experience would be a greatly coveted trait for Boston, who has envisioned next season being the year of Banner 18.

So what’s the problem?

Why weren’t the Boston Celtics on that list of potential suitors for the swingman from Ohio?

Cons of the Boston Celtics trading for CJ McCollum

There are a couple of reasons, but the biggest one is McCollum’s contract.

On July 20th of 2019, McCollum signed an extension that would pay an average of $26.65 million every season until 2024.

McCollum is on a max contract for the next three seasons, and the Boston Celtics have no way of matching it without giving up multiple core players who are better than McCollum.

Boston would have to trade Horford and Smart to match McCollum’s salary who combined are better than him and offer more to the team.

Trading multiple vital contributors, especially defensive contributors, would be foolhardy of Stevens. McCollum’s deal would also cap the Cs for the foreseeable future, which means no Beal, Steph, or Lavine next summer.

Another reason McCollum was not on that list of potential suitors is that he does not fit the mold of a “Brad Stevens player.”

McCollum is not a good defender and not a good finisher at the rim. His finishing would be problematic when his jumper is not falling.

Teams won’t have to commit much help at the rim to propel his drives since he’s not good enough to finish through contact or pressure, which means he’s not opening up much for the Jays.

Playoff teams will hunt him, and with Smart and Horford traded, the C’s defense will be even worse than it already is and a more significant burden on Brown and Tatum defensively.

Verdict

Evan Fournier is not better than McCollum or close to it, but given his price and the level of his skill set, the Boston Celtics are not losing much value signing him over trading for McCollum.

What he offers offensively does not overcome his poor defense and massive contract. His creation and shot-making would help a lot, but if Boston brings back Fournier, they could get both those traits for about $20 million less a season.

Especially considering Stevens would have to trade two of his best defenders in the process. A Smart, Fournier, Brown, Tatum, and Horford starting lineup is better than a Brown, Tatum, McCollum core.

Not only is it better on the court, but it also gives the Celtics more financial flexibility next summer when multiple stars hit the market. Stevens has stressed he wants to keep the Cs in a position to strike gold in free agency and trading for McCollum contradicts that sentiment.