CJ McCollum Cleared To Play Tuesday

Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum has been cleared to return to action for Tuesday’s game against the Pelicans, Jason Quick of The Athletic tweets.

McCollum suffered a hairline fracture in his left foot on January 16 against the Hawks. McCollum, whose injury was initially diagnosed as a sprain, has missed 25 games with Portland going 14-11 during that span.

The high-scoring guard was off to a hot start prior to the injury, averaging 26.7 PPG and 5.0 APG in 13 games while shooting 44.1% from deep. Damian Lillard‘s backcourt partner averaged 22.2 PPG and 4.4 APG last season.

McCollum signed a three-year, $100MM extension in 2019 that goes through the 2023/24 season.

The Blazers entered the week tied for fifth place in the Western Conference. The return of one of Portland’s key players could increase the chances of the team being a buyer prior to the March 25 trade deadline.