Report: C.J. McCollum agrees to $100 million extension with Portland Trail Blazers
Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum has agreed to a three-year, $100 million contract extension through 2023-24, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
McCollum still has two seasons left on his existing deal — a four-year, $106 million deal he signed in 2016. The 27-year-old became eligible for the extension on Friday.
McCollum averaged 21 points, four rebounds and three assists in 70 games for the 53-win Blazers this past season, shooting 45.9 percent from the field, 37.5 percent from 3-point range and 82.8 percent from the free-throw line. He was instrumental in the team’s run to the Western Conference finals, scoring a career playoff-high 37 points in Portland’s come-from-behind Game 7 victory over the Denver Nuggets.
The Blazers also signed Damian Lillard to a five-year, $196 million supermax extension this summer, so the talented backcourt duo is under contract together in Portland for at least the next five seasons. Lillard’s deal runs through 2025-26.
The Blazers owe Lillard and McCollum a combined $360 million over the next five years, and Lillard is due in excess of $50 million the ensuing two seasons. That is a hefty price tag for a tandem that has yet to prove it can legitimately compete for a title. This year’s conference finals sweep followed two straight first-round sweeps.
The extensions show a serious commitment to a pair of beloved figures in Portland. Lillard appeared on the All-NBA Second Team this year after making the First Team in 2018, while McCollum has been a fringe All-Star candidate for several years running. Blazers general manager Neil Olshey surrounded them with several new pieces this summer in hopes of contending in a more wide-open West this season.
Lillard and McCollum are in their prime years and should be for the bulk of their contracts, so it is not as though either now represents an albatross. McCollum has long been rumored in trade discussions, and the Blazers could still move on from him if they ever decide to break up their backcourt. For now, though, Portland appears more invested in the undersized and overachieving duo than ever.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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