CJ McCollum Comments on James Harden-Blazers Trade Rumors

The fact the Portland Trail Blazers could be in the mix for James Harden hasn't escaped Blazers star CJ McCollum.

The Athletic's Sam Amick and Kelly Iko reported Thursday that Portland had joined the list of "preferred destinations" for the Houston Rockets star.

"What am I supposed to think?" McCollum said of the report, per Jason Quick of The Athletic. "I play the same position as James. If there is a trade for James, who is going to be in the trade?"

Beyond the fact he plays the same position as Harden, McCollum's $29.4 million salary allows for Portland to more easily match the $41.3 million Harden earns in 2020-21.

McCollum finished with 44 points and eight assists in a 128-126 overtime victory over the Rockets on Sunday. He nailed a three-pointer with 6.3 seconds remaining, which was the decisive bucket.

The eighth-year guard denied he had any extra motivation given all of the circumstances:

"Look, I know I'm nice, man. I don't need to psyche myself out to go against one of the best players in the world. Like, James is really good. Regardless of what James does in his spare time, James is really f--king good at basketball … like, really good. So I don't need to get extra sleep to go guard a guy that averages 35. You know what I mean?"

ESPN's Tim MacMahon reported in November that Houston is looking to get "a proven, young star as a centerpiece along with a massive picks package" in return for Harden. McCollum turned 29 in September, so he doesn't fit the "young" qualifier.

McCollum plus Zach Collins or Jusuf Nurkic and draft picks probably isn't even the best offer the Rockets can get if they lower their demands.

The McCollum-Damian Lillard partnership is unlikely to get broken up anytime soon, so alienating one half of that tandem would create obvious problems. 

It's good for the Blazers that McCollum is taking things in stride because putting together a trade for Harden isn't easy for Portland—assuming that's even something general manager Neil Olshey is seriously considering.