“An unrestricted free agent, he likely will have other suitors who value his scoring, although perhaps not as a starter,” Hollinger wrote.<\/p>\n
“I canvassed a few execs on his likely value during my recent travels, and most seemed to think one or two years at slightly above the midlevel exception was a fair ballpark (i.e., two years and $35 million to $40 million). However,\u00a0with tanking now\u00a0verboten<\/a>, a one-year balloon deal from a struggling cap-room team like the Chicago Bulls or\u00a0Brooklyn Nets\u00a0can\u2019t be ruled out.”<\/p>\n Every young team needs to have a veteran on the roster to hold their teammates accountable and manage the locker room during the highs and lows of a season, especially one that contains a potential future superstar.<\/p>\n Who better than McCollum, who has been a part of several heated playoff battles and has held leadership roles in the NBPA?<\/p>\n McCollum is also still an absolute bucket, as evidenced by his knack for dialing it in from distance and taking his man off the dribble, oftentimes leading to an easy pullup jumper or floater.<\/p>\n Sure, the argument could be made that McCollum could be eating into the touches of several young players who may need the ball in their hands to fully develop their game, but in looking at the history of the NBA, some of the best players in the league have oftentimes had to share the ball with another high usage player.<\/p>\n For example, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had to co-exist with Chris Paul early on in his career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. <\/p>\n Egor D\u00ebmin and Nolan Traor\u00e9 could certainly use a veteran like McCollum to help them improve their shotmaking skills, especially when both guards look to get downhill.<\/p>\n Traor\u00e9, in particular, could benefit under McCollum’s tutelage, especially given Traor\u00e9’s fearlessness of attacking the basket. <\/p>\n Hollinger noted that McCollum could be looking for somewhere around $20 million per year as he nears the later stages of his career, and Brooklyn could create about $45 million in cap space this summer.<\/p>\n Could that be an expensive price to pay? Sure, but the benefits of bringing in McCollum on a short term deal on that salary could help bring longterm success back to Brooklyn.<\/p>\n
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