CJ McCollum, the most successful basketball player to ever come out of the Lehigh program, agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers worth a reported $106 million Monday.
The new deal is a maximum extension for McCollum — meaning that it’s the most Portland is allowed to pay him under the collective bargaining agreement. It follows a recent trend in the NBA of raising stakes during free agency due to a severe increase in the salary cap.
McCollum earned his new contract after having a career year the 2015-16 season, averaging over 20 points per game and being voted as the NBA’s Most Improved Player. His boost in productivity corresponded with a successful year for the Trail Blazers, in which they beat the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs.
Though McCollum has been removed from the Mountain Hawks for a few years now, he is still remembered for leading the team in a miracle upset against Duke in first round of the NCAA Tournament during his junior year.
The contract will begin after next year, taking effect in the 2017-18 season.
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