Add C.J. McCollum to the Cavs’ shortlist of trade targets

Acquiring Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard C.J. McCollum should be on the Cleveland Cavaliers wishlist this summer.

With the Portland Trail Blazers being swept by the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs, prying shooting guard C.J. McCollum from the Blazers roster should be on the Cleveland Cavaliers shortlist of offseason objectives.

McCollum, a Cleveland-native who Sporting News’ Sean Deveney said in February would be a major trade target this offseason, averaged 21.4 points and 3.4 assists per game in the regular season.

"“They have a lot invested in those two guys [McCollum and Lillard], and if they’re not making progress, they’re going to get a lot of good offers,” one general manager said. “They are excited about [forward] Zach Collins, but they need help at the forward spots long-term. And everyone likes C.J. McCollum.”"

A five-year vet, McCollum has averaged 21.7 and 3.7 assists per game over the past three seasons.

He even outplayed star point guard Damian Lillard in their first round matchup against the Pelicans, averaging 25.3 points and 3.5 assists per game in the series (compared to 18.5 points and 4.8 assists per game for Lillard).

All that said, fans should get ready and expect McCollum’s name to join Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Kemba Walker and even Lillard as players that the Cavaliers try to acquire in the offseason. Players that they’ll try to pair with LeBron James to create a 1-2 punch with a lot more power than what they currently have.

Equipped with what’s currently the 8th pick in the 2018 NBA Draft (the Draft Lottery could change that position), solid young talent and a multitude of high-priced contracts they can use to make matching salaries easier, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a unique position when it comes to attaining an All-Star player. A position they hadn’t been in since LeBron returned and two former first overall picks (Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins) were sent to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for power forward Kevin Love.

Speaking of Love, if there’s anything that the Cleveland Cavaliers have shown with their start to their postseason, it’s that they’ll need to acquire an elite perimeter playmaker in the offseason. The player that Love was acquired to play third banana to.

A player who will go get his own buckets because he has both an assertive scoring mentality and the ability to create his own shots.

In short, a player who won’t rely on LeBron.

Despite popular beliefs, that player is not a “Robin.” In replacing Kyrie Irving — and that’s all this comes down to — you’re not replacing a sidekick but another superhero. A guy who will consistently take over the game with talent, willpower and confidence.

The Cavaliers, who are likely aware of the 20.5 point per game gap between LeBron (32.5 points per game) and Love (12.0 points per game) this postseason, might realize that the talent gap between LeBron and Love is far greater than the one between LeBron and Kyrie because the talent gap between Kyrie and Love is a large one itself.

While both have displayed offensive prowess and tendencies to be a defensive liability in their career, Irving has never been a player whose been completely outplayed by his competition in the postseason — and that’s happened to Love before Indiana Pacers forward started taking his lunch on a daily.

Irving, unlike Love, has the ability to create space for shot opportunities. With his ball-handling sorcery, smooth jump shot and ability to finish shots around the rim with acrobatics and a spectacular use of angles, he’s one of the best scoring point guards in the game.

In fact, out of he, Stephen Curry and Damian Lillard, there’s a legitimate debate as to who is the best scorer among them.

Irving’s biggest weakness was being headstrong and not living up to his defensive or playmaking potential. Under Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens though, Irving had been a true MVP candidate prior to his season-ending knee surgery.

For all the outside shooting he provides, Love isn’t that type of scorer.

He has solid low-post moves that he uses to get off a turnaround jumper or a hook but he’s not an advanced technician with his footwork or an immovable force down low like a Nikola Jokic or Joel Embiid. Outside of spot-up shooting and a couple of low-post moves, you aren’t getting many points from Love.

Of course, it’s not his fault, but his inability to be a ball-handler and his docile nature on offense make him best suited as a third option. A spot-up shooter like Klay Thompson is still a great weapon but he’s a third option on offense for a reason; the scoring flows through aggressive, scoring playmakers.

McCollum, like Kawhi, PG13, Kemba or Lillard, is that type of playmaker. A true second option.

Personally, a player like Leonard or George seems like the best fit considering their defensive abilities. However, any of these players are a better second option than Love and are the type of player the Cavs will need to acquire to keep LeBron dedicated to being in The Land.

The “eye candy” counter to a “wandering eye”.

Related Story: The curious case of Kevin Love

*All stats gathered from www.basketball-reference.com