In this episode of the Draymond Green Show, host Draymond Green interviews NBA guard CJ McCollum about the years of trade speculation that surrounded his tenure with the Portland Trail Blazers and the eventual move to the New Orleans Pelicans. McCollum explains how rumors of “breaking up” the Dame‑McCollum duo began three years before the trade, and how he moved from feeling angry at fans to a realistic acceptance that most players are tradeable assets. He discusses the financial pressures on Portland—especially his contract being the second‑largest on the roster—and how that made him the logical piece to move when the team chose not to trade Damian Lillard. McCollum emphasizes the importance of honest communication with his agents (Neil and later Joe), insisting on transparency rather than learning about developments on social media. Family considerations, including his newborn son and his wife’s preferences, shaped his desire for a destination that offered stability and a supportive environment. He outlines why New Orleans was the ideal fit: a young, talented core (Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Willie Green, etc.), a culture he could help shape, and a role that leverages his versatility and “winner’s DNA.” Finally, he reflects on the trade’s execution, noting that Portland received assets (Ant Crews, Nurk Demirel, Josh Hart) and later signed Grant Williams, making the transaction mutually beneficial and “cordial” like a well‑handled divorce.
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For a couple years there, which you still being with the Blazers, your name, or not necessarily your name, but it kept coming up that like, they gotta break it up, they gotta break it up, they gotta break Dame and CJ up. It's not gonna work, it's not gonna work. And I think those maybe started 3 years before you eventually got traded.
Yeah.
When those things first start coming out that they needed to break it up and you get traded, Was there ever a point in that, like before it was inevitable? Like I think that last year was inevitable where you like, yo, I think I may have spoke to you before and you like, yeah, I'm just waiting. Like I know it's happening. But was there ever a point like during those years where, hey, y'all were still playing well and competing, but everybody's saying it's not gonna work, they need to break it up. Was there ever a point for you during that where you felt like this is the year I'm gonna get traded and it still didn't happen? Or did you always know that no, it's not happening, and then that's just noise on the outside?
I was in trade rumors for about 6 straight years, I would say. Bill Simmons used to always, and I joke about Bill all the time, he used to put me in trades all the time. He had me going to the Cavs, he had me going to Detroit, he had me going to Boston. He had some trades that I thought, like, you know, I'm a realist. I look at it and I'd be like, that could work. Or like, that makes sense financially. Or if they trying to do this, like, that could work. I don't really read into too much besides the fact that I think there's only a few players in the league that are untradeable. The rest of us are just pawns in this game and we're just a number.
Absolutely.
And they gotta figure out how to make the numbers work. But I felt like it was good to be wanted by more than one team because at some point, you know, the only person left in my draft class is on the same team they was drafted by is Giannis. It was me and Giannis and now it's just Giannis. Like, that's the way it works. So I always looked and I thought to myself, first you used to be mad. Like, you mad at the fan base, you're angry, you're like, why don't they want me? And you kind of feel that way, right? When you're younger. As you get older, I went through that for about like a week. Like, dang, that's messed up. Like, I, I worked so hard, put in like whatever, whatever. Then I thought about it and I was like, get realistic, CJ. Like, every team's goal is to win a championship, right? Fans are irrational at times. I'm an irrational Browns fan first of all. So I get it.
Yeah.
Like, that's just, I'm an irrational Browns fan. I feel like we supposed to compete for a championship even when we not. And I think our fans and the fans that were there at the time, they were like, thinking about it, they were like, we're paying these guys too much money and we keep being honest. We kept running into the Warriors, right? We kept running into y'all. And it was like our team and our roster wasn't built to beat you guys. We were built to compete, but we weren't built to beat you guys. And how else were we gonna be built to compete or beat you guys than to get rid of the guy who makes the second most money on the team? So it was like financially I started thinking about it and I was like, well, if their plan is to try to find more assets and they're not gonna trade Dame, then like it's obviously gonna be me. And I think for me it was just more so, all right, just keep working on your game, do things the right way, be a leader and set the example and understand that this is the way the cards may fall for you. And I think that's the approach that I kind of had going forward. And I just always told my agent like, be honest with me, be transparent, let me know what's going on. And before Neil was let go, I always had conversations with him like, yo, just be honest with me. Like, that's all I ever want is honesty, man. I can take honesty. I don't want to be lied to. I don't want to be betrayed. And— Yeah. At the very least, I don't wanna find out things on Twitter. Like, just keep it a buck with me when I'm playing well, keep it a buck when I'm not, keep it a buck. And Neil was always like that. He was always very quite frank. Like, things weren't going well, he would tell me. If things were going well, he would tell me. And when Joe was in that position, I told Joe the same thing. Like, hey, keep it a buck with me. Like, I'm a professional. The whispers are louder than they've ever been before. I can feel the tension. I feel the vibe shifting. I feel it. Like, that's when I think I told you, I was like, yeah, this is inevitable. Like, it's about to happen. I just don't know where and I don't know when. And I kind of got my family ready. I got everything kind of lined up and I told my agent, it's like, it's time. Like my time here is up. Like start having like not just inquiring conversations, but productive conversations where like we not asking, we kind of telling like this is what it's looking like for us. And thankfully, you know, Portland was great about the dialogue, the back and forths, and they handled everything first class. And I'm thankful that we were able to put something together where it was mutually beneficial, right? They get off my money, they're able to go pay Ant, they're able to go pay Nurk, pay some other guys and get Josh Hart. They get some great, you know, assets. And then I think because of my trade, they able to sign Grant, which was a huge pickup for them as well. And I always say like divorces don't always have to be messy, right? Like my parents got divorced and they get along better now than they did when they was married. Like divorces can end well and cordial if you handle it properly. And I think we handled that divorce really well.
Nice. It's great. Did you have any say so or know that it was gonna be New Orleans?
Yeah, I knew. I knew, I knew I was going to New Orleans. We had a lot of conversations about teams behind closed doors. I told my agent what I felt like was the best fit for me, my career, where I wanted to go, for my wife, for my son who had just been born. He was, I left after his 4-week appointment. And I just felt like with the young talent, obviously you gotta plant it in Zion. You got B.I. who's a mega star. You got great pieces, young players. You got Willie, who you know Willie really well. Great guy.
Absolutely.
Good human, motivator. You got Griff, you got Draymond, you got Swin. So I'm talking and I'm having all these conversations and I'm like, this is perfect. We got a young up-and-coming team. They need a player like me who can play different roles. I can score, I can lead, I can get off the ball and chill and like watch you go to work. Like I'm not, I'm not gonna force my way into stuff. Like I know how to play whatever way we need to play. And most importantly, I got a winner's DNA to where like I won at every level. I ain't won a championship, but I won in high school, I won in college, and I've consistently gone to the playoffs 9 years in a row. This will be 10 straight. So it's like, I know what to do to kind of figure it out. And thankfully, we pulled the trigger, and I'm thankful to be in New Orleans. I love it. I think we're changing the culture. Fan base is shifting. What we wanna accomplish is shifting. And I'm a big part of that, and this team is a big part of that.
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