C.J. McCollum was someone that they Jazz were interested in during the 2013 NBA draft. McCollum was pegged as a lights out combo guard out of the draft. He was some what of an unknown name as he went to the small university of Lehigh Mountain. The Jazz would love to bring a shooter into the club, and the former Lehigh Hawk is hitting 41.4% of his three pointers. C.J. is versatile enough to play both guard positions, but is more naturally a shooting guard. McCollum running a pick-and-pop with Derrick Favors would be a wonderful additions to the Jazz offense. McCollum is in his second year in the NBA and is 23 year old. He would fit well with this young group.
.@chadfordinsider says CJ McCollum would be the perfect pick for the Jazz. Suggests a trade up. http://t.co/HSef9mufZW
— David J. Smith (@davidjsmith1232) May 17, 2013
Meyers Leonard would be a solid addition for the Utah Jazz. This seven-footer is only 22 and has not been able to find much playing time behind LaMarcus Alrdridge and Robin Lopez. Leonard has a solid mid range jumper, and has hit on 24 of his 55 three point attempts. He could be a skilled post player, but shies away from contact. Leonard is a decent rebounder, but not a shot blocker. Meyers would fit in as a great third big for the Jazz for years to come. He is very athletic and would be able to run the floor like Quin wants.
With the recent LaMarcus Aldridge injury, Portland needs to get an interior scorer to take the scoring load of him. Kanter would do that for Portland, and could step in and start for him when he needs to rest. The Trailblazers are currently sitting in the fourth spot in the Western Conference and would like to secure home court advantage. They would be giving up two young prospects for a more developed prospect. Leonard is averaging 15.6 minutes per game and McCollum is only averaging 12.2. Kanter would be able to play a good 30 minutes a night for the squad.
"“I could see Portland parting with Meyers Leonard and C.J. McCollum for Enes Kanter, but only if they believe Kanter’s ceiling is higher than Leonard’s in the long term. The Trail Blazers are presently thin at the wing, so prying McCollum away may be tough; especially given his 3-point capabilities that fit Terry Stotts’ offensive system.”"
Because of the lack of wing depth that David mentioned, the Jazz would likely need to include a serviceable wing, like Joe Ingles, to get the deal done.
You can find this trade on ESPN’s trade machine here.
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