Pelicans Out, Knicks In; Mavs Face Competition For McCollum Trade

The Dallas Mavericks have been linked to CJ McCollum ahead of the trade deadline. The New York Knicks have worked to get in the mix.

One of the top names to watch ahead of the Feb. 10 trade deadline is CJ McCollum after the Portland Trail Blazers made it clear that they are looking to shake things up around superstar guard Damian Lillard. 

The first move the Blazers made involved Norman Powell and Robert Covington being dealt to the LA Clippers, which cleared the necessary cap space to give a lucrative new contract to soon-to-be restricted free agent Anfernee Simons in the offseason.

By trading away McCollum, the Blazers could balance out the supporting cast around Lillard and Simons. McCollum will earn $33.3 million next season, and paying both Lillard and Simons along with McCollum would make fielding a balanced roster challenging. 

According to Marc Stein, the Pelicans were considered 'leaders' to trade for McCollum but that is no longer the case. Instead, it's the New York Knicks that are making a run at the veteran guard.

"The most interesting trade scenario I heard all weekend: Two rival teams say that the Knicks are emerging as a legitimate trade suitor for Portland’s CJ McCollum," Stein wrote. "The Pelicans, until now, have been most frequently mentioned as the leaders of the McCollum chase if another trade materializes for the Trail Blazers after their Friday deal with the LA Clippers to send out Norman Powell and Robert Covington."

Perhaps one of the main challenges that come into focus for the Pelicans is their desire to hold onto Jonas Valanciunas along with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson. Stein noted that Valanciunas and rookie Herbert Jones are "off limits" in trade talks. 

The Knicks are not an easy competitor for the Mavericks to win a bidding war against. Not only does sending a player away from the Western Conference add to New York's appeal, they also hold Dallas' 2023 first-round pick. However, it remains unclear what the Knicks are willing to part with to acquire McCollum.

New York could offer one of their centers to be a Jusuf Nurkic replacement and still have young players like Obi Toppin, Cam Reddish, Immanuel Quickley, Mitchell Robinson, Quentin Grimes, and Miles McBride. Given Portland's clear affinity for Keon Johnson in the Norman Powell trade, the appeal of young players should not be overlooked.

There's a few key ways the Knicks' involvement in the McCollum sweepstakes could end up impacting them. If New York were to pull off a deal to acquire McCollum, it would likely take them off the board as a Jalen Brunson suitor in free agency.

Surely, other suitors will be interested in pursuing Brunson in free agency, but it would help to not have to fend off the Knicks when considering all of the ties Brunson has to their organization. 

Now, where things could get interesting is seeing how much influence McCollum could have on his landing spot after nine seasons with the organization. Could his relationship with Mavs general manager Nico Harrison be a factor? Would Portland feel obligated to help McCollum get where he wants to go? We only have a few more days of waiting to find out.