“We knew this day would come but it doesn’t make it any easier”: Damian Lillard bids a heartfelt farewell to CJ McCollum after almost a decade together on the Blazers

Damian Lillard wishes CJ McCollum all the best in New Orleans as the Blazers trade him away ahead of the Feb 10th trade deadline. 

Saying it’s the end of an era for the Portland Trailblazers is a statement that has become very common over the past 12 hours, and it’s true. CJ McCollum has been traded away from the Blazers along with Larry Nance Jr and Mr. 50/50/100 himself, Tony Snell, in exchange for Josh Hart, NAW, Tomas Satoransky, and draft compensation. 

Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum shared the court together as one of the best offensive backcourt duos in the NB from the time of the 2013 NBA Draft to, well, yesterday, making it almost 9 years. Many Blazers have been incredibly disappointed with the way Joe Cronin and company have handled this trade deadline. 

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The common belief is that the Blazers got fleeced on both the Norman Powell and CJ deals. That may be true for the former but for the latter, the market simply was not there for McCollum. 

Damian Lillard bids farewell to CJ McCollum after 9 years together. 

Damian Lillard has grown extremely close to several of his teammates on the Blazers in the past 10 or so years he’s been in the league. CJ McCollum is no exception as he’s built a solid relationship with Dame over this stretch. 

So, it was expected that the 6x All-Star would show love to CJ following the trade to the New Orleans Pelicans.

 

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With the roster going through a historic revamp, it should be noted that the Blazers are more committed than ever, according to Woj, to build a championship contender around Damian Lillard with the assets they’ve acquired at this trade deadline. 

For the New Orleans Pelicans side of things, they’ve gotten themselves an on-ball creator who has showcased point guard skills in the past 4 years of his career. Safe to say that CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram will prove to be a devastating wing-guard duo on the offensive end of the floor for the foreseeable future.