The Portland Trail Blazers have agreed to sign guard C.J. McCollum to a four-year contract extension worth $106 million. The deal includes no player or team options, nor a trade kicker.
The agreement was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Monday afternoon:
Portland guard CJ McCollum has reached agreement on a four-year, $106M maximum contract extension, league sources tell @TheVertical.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 25, 2016
C.J. McCollum Agrees to Extension with Portland Trail Blazers
McCollum averaged 20.8 points, 4.3 assists and 3.2 rebounds in 80 games last season for the Trail Blazers. One of the keys to McCollum putting together his best season yet is health. In McCollum’s first season with the Trail Blazers, he only played 38 games, starting none. In his second year, he played 62, starting in just three. But last season, McCollum played in 80 games and started in all of them.
McCollum was voted as the Most Improved Player in the NBA last year, breaking out in his third season with the Trail Blazers. McCollum’s breakout season helped the Trail Blazers win 44 games. The team also made the playoffs, advancing to the second round. The team was beaten by the Golden State Warriors in five games.
The Trail Blazers have been very active this off-season, signing Evan Turner and Allen Crabbe to long-term deals. Center Festus Ezeli was also picked up and the team decided to re-sign big man Meyers Leonard. This means that the Trail Blazers have spent over $300 million in total money on just five players this summer.
The Trail Blazers weren’t expected to achieve anything like what they managed to last season. With the team loosing star big man LaMarcus Aldridge before last season, expectations were hardly high in Portland. But with star point guard Damian Lillard leading the team alongside McCollum, the Trail Blazers shocked the league, not only making the playoffs but beating the Los Angeles Clippers in the process.
The Trail Blazers made great strides last season and will look to win 50 or more games this season. With a talented group of players, most of whom are locked up for the foreseeable future, the Trail Blazers will be one of the most competitive teams in the whole Western Conference.
McCollum was drafted by the Trail Blazers with the 10th overall pick in 2013, out of Lehigh. McCollum is heading into his fourth season in the NBA, all coming with the Trail Blazers.
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