Kyler: “No Indications” of Trail Blazers Trading CJ McCollum

As NBA trade rumors heat up, Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders has lent his perspective to many who have asked for it in an ongoing Twitter Q&A session. Today, Kyler heavily indicated that Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum is not available for trade, despite the eager fidgeting of both Portland fans looking for a blockbuster season-saver and outsiders hoping to pry the rising star from an ostensibly sinking ship.

This is in large part because McCollum is a huge element of Portland’s success—so much so that the Trail Blazers signed him to a 4-year, $106 million extension last summer—but perhaps also because that extension makes it incredibly difficult to trade McCollum for a reasonable return in the first place.

McCollum’s contract is what is known as a “Poison Pill.” This means that his outgoing salary in the event of a trade is equal to his current salary ($3.2M) as far as Portland is concerned, which, in turn, means that they can only receive a maximum incoming salary equal to 150 percent of McCollum’s current contract + $100,000 ($4.9M).

However; for the team receiving McCollum, the incoming salary is counted as his current salary averaged with his average yearly salary after his extension takes effect, coming out to roughly $22.0M. Because the outgoing and incoming salaries are so lopsided, trades involving a Poison Pill typically require more contracts in play and/or a third team to absorb excess salary.

Barring a sudden and drastic turn of events, McCollum is likely to remain with the Trail Blazers through the remainder of the 2016-17 NBA season. Once his extension kicks in, his contract is more tradeable, should the Trail Blazers explore a separation of their defensively deficient backcourt. Either way, it sounds like he is not on the table.

Now in his fourth NBA season, the reigning Most Improve Player is averaging a career-high 23.6 points per game and boasts incredible efficiency from deep. While Lillard spent five games recovering from a left ankle sprain, McCollum led the struggling Trail Blazers to a 2-3 record, scoring 31.2 points per game, including a career-high 43 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

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