Section 215
Fansided

Philadelphia 76ers: 7 players Daryl Morey could trade Ben Simmons for

By David Esser

PORTLAND, OREGON - JUNE 03: CJ McCollum #3 and Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers react in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets during Round 1, Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on June 03, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
PORTLAND, OREGON - JUNE 03: CJ McCollum #3 and Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers react in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets during Round 1, Game 6 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on June 03, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia 76ers CJ McCollum
Jun 1, 2021; Denver, Colorado, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum (3) shoots the ball in the second quarter against the Denver Nuggets during game five in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports /

CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers

The other, far more obtainable scoring guard on the Trail Blazers, CJ McCollum is a guy who Philadelphia 76ers fans have been intrigued with for quite some time now. A high-volume shooter coming off a 23.1 PPG season, going after McCollum leans into the idea that the only way to win with Embiid at the focal point of the offense is to surround him with as many shooters as humanly possible.

We saw great success from Seth Curry this past season during his debut year with Embiid – McCollum is a similar player, just better.

The main criticism to pursuing someone like McCollum is concerns over if he’s good enough to deliver a championship in the long run. He’s been a solid “Robin” to Lillard’s “Batman” over the past few years, but hasn’t been able to reach the NBA finals quite yet.

McCollum is also more of a scoring two-guard as opposed to a true point guard. Not that that’s a huge issue one way or the other, but it’s not as seamless of a fit as the before mentioned Lillard.

With McCollum, there’s a half decent chance that Portland would accept Simmons outright in a trade, which would obviously be ideal for Morey and the Sixers. Lillard is upset – one way to keep him happy is bringing in new, All-Star caliber faces.