Sixers not that into CJ McCollum

A bit of important reporting we will try not to bury in a recap — a source familiar with the situation spoke to PhillyVoice on Monday evening and said the Sixers have had no recent discussions with Portland regarding a CJ McCollum trade, and a package centered around the Blazers’ guard is not currently of interest to the Sixers.
Source: Philly Voice

What’s the buzz on Twitter?

Sam Quinn @SamQuinnCBS
From Quick’s story: Portland turned down Jrue Holiday for C.J. McCollum and three first-round picks.
I wouldn’t have done three. I probably would have done two if the Pelicans could’ve been negotiated down to there (with some protections). Jrue is Dame’s ideal backcourt partner. pic.twitter.com/rDO5sZREXU – 12:20 PM Jason Jones @mr_jasonjones
Inside the mind of CJ McCollum: A conversation and a text message show the Blazers guard’s current struggle
via @TheAthletic theathletic.com/3002581/2021/1… – 11:07 AM Jason Quick @jwquick
It sure felt like CJ McCollum was saying goodbye on Monday night.
“It’s not a goodbye. I’m still here,” he said.
His head? That’s trickier to pinpoint. A look at what’s going on between the ears of the Trail Blazers guard during these tumultuous times: theathletic.com/3002581/2021/1… – 10:19 AM John Hollinger @johnhollinger
With Lillard, McCollum and Simons all out, C.J. Elleby is getting some run as the Blazers’ **point guard**
It’s going about how you imagined. – 10:45 PM Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Clippers break up the Terance Mann-Luke Kennard combo, start Jackson, Kennard, George, Morris, Zubac.
Looks like CJ McCollum is out tonight with Portland starting Dennis Smith Jr., Norman Powell, Tony Snell, Robert Covington, Jusuf Nurkic. – 9:34 PM Aaron J. Fentress @AaronJFentress
The Blazers will be without Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Anfernee Simons and Nassir Little tonight against the Clippers. – 9:31 PM Jay Allen @PDXjay
CJ McCollum (rib contusion) has been downgraded from probable to doubtful for tonight’s game against the Clippers. #Blazers – 8:34 PM Law Murray @LawMurrayTheNU
Chauncey Billups says that he “hopes” CJ McCollum (rib) plays tonight, but that he’s not sure. – 8:24 PM Kevin O’Connor @KevinOConnorNBA
A trade package built around CJ McCollum for Ben Simmons makes perfect sense for the Trail Blazers: pic.twitter.com/3oAUycSy7M – 5:01 PM Ben Rohrbach @brohrbach
The Portland Paradox: Trade CJ McCollum now or risk losing Damian Lillard soon. For @The Vertical: sports.yahoo.com/the-portland-p… – 2:45 PM Kyle Neubeck @KyleNeubeck
so, some thoughts on the Lillard/Simmons/McCollum stuff from this morning phillyvoice.com/nba-trade-rumo… – 2:37 PM

More on this storyline

According to Shams Charania, Lillard is interested in playing with Simmons and a package including McCollum, a first-round pick, and a young player such as Nassir Little or Anfernee Simons has been discussed. Such a deal would be close to a wash salary-wise, which is important considering both teams are a little over the luxury tax. While completely blowing it up now is at least worth a discussion, it’s probably more pragmatic to acquire an All-Star like Simmons first, especially at that price, and try to compete. -via HoopsHype / December 7, 2021 If the Blazers cannot acquire Simmons, Pascal Siakam would be another great addition to the team. A lot of the same arguments for acquiring Simmons such as the defensive versatility he brings and lineup configurations he allows can be applied to Siakam. It also helps that both players earn identical salaries, allowing the Blazers to put together a similar package for Siakam. -via HoopsHype / December 7, 2021 “Me and Dame have a good relationship,” McCollum said. “I think when Dame speaks, you hear him. When you hear ‘sources’ and ‘anonymous’, I don’t necessarily know if that is Dame or not, because it’s not Dame putting his name on it. He generally puts his name on things. I know where he stands with me, and he knows where I stand with him. The organization, they need to do what is best for themselves.” I asked where he thought he stood with Lillard. “If he wanted me to leave, I think he would say that,” McCollum said. “He’s not speaking on me behind closed doors because that’s not in his DNA. He’s not built like that. He’s solid, and I know his word is his bond.” -via The Athletic / December 7, 2021