Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum has suffered a collapsed right lung, per a team press release. A CT scan revealed the injury.
Per the Portland site, McCollum suffered the injury, also known as a pneumothorax, during a 145-117 loss to the Celtics on December 4.
The team went on to disclose that McCollum will undergo further testing before determining a recovery timeline for the 6-foot-3 vet. The 30-year-old is averaging 20.6 points, 4.5 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals across 35.3 minutes per game for the 11-14 Trail Blazers, who are currently the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. McCollum owns a shooting line this season of .424/.393/.700.
Portland is also missing All-Star point guard Damian Lillard, still recuperating from a lower abdominal tendinopathy.
McCollum and the remaining three years and $100M guaranteed on his deal have long been considered a viable candidate for a trade to improve the team alongside his All-NBA backcourt running mate. Prior to this injury news, a deal for embattled Sixers All-Star Ben Simmons seemed possible.
