NBA Trade Rumors: New York Knicks enter sweepstakes for former Most Improved Player winner

The NBA trade deadline arrives in a few days, and the New York Knicks are looking to secure backcourt help before Thursday’s deadline.

Reports indicate the Knicks have joined a long list of teams interested in procuring Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum.

New York had signed forward Cam Reddish earlier in the year from the Atlanta Hawks, trading forward Kevin Knox II in the process.

The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks are also interested in snagging McCollum away from the Blazers. The Knicks are latecomers in the race and are hopeful of winning a trade war over the persistent Pelicans.

The Blazers traded Robert Covington and Norman Powell last week to the LA Clippers in a five-player trade. The trade is in line with the franchise’s desire to build a team around their star Damian Lillard. They have expressed their openness in welcoming interest in McCollum.

CJ McCollum could be a great addition to New York Knicks’ artillery

The New York Knicks have been a low-scoring team this season, ranking fourth-lowest in the league with an average of 104.4 points per game. None of the Knicks players have a scoring average above 20 points per game, with forward Julius Randle leading with 18.7 points.

The franchise could get a boost with high-scoring guard CJ McCollum, who has averaged 21.9 points per game in the past six seasons. Last season, he posted a season-high 23.1 ppg, shooting 45.8%, making 8.6 of 18.8 attempts. He also shot 40.2% from beyond the arc, netting 3.6 of 8.9 3-point attempts.

McCollum will be a great addition to the Knicks’ offensive arsenal, giving the team options that do not revolve around Randle. His experience will also be welcomed to the relatively young team as they struggle to gain some momentum. The Knicks (24-29) have gone 2-8 in their past 10 games.

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McCollum, 30, was the No. 10 pick in the 2013 draft by Portland. He played at Lehigh. After two seasons as a reserve (100 games, three starts), McCollum broke out in 2015-16. That season, he averaged 20.8 ppg and was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player.