CJ McCollum’s old contract story has divided NBA fans, especially because of how honestly he talked about the deal. McCollum discussed the contract on Club 520 with Jeff Teague, DJ Wells, and B Hen. The episode was uploaded to YouTube on December 15, 2025.

CJ McCollum remembered his agent telling him that they could get $97 million. He immediately told his agent to accept the deal.

“My agent hit me, and he was like, ‘I think we’re at 97.’ I was like, ‘97 what?’ He’s like, ‘$97 million.’ I said, ‘Take it,” McCollum explained. “Send it now.’ [He said] ‘Nah, it’s early.’ I said, ‘Early? I don’t want to be late, my guy, we good.’ He was like, ‘Trust me, CJ, we good’…”

McCollum wanted to secure the money quickly because he did not want to risk losing the deal. However, the final contract was worth even more than the $97 million his agent first mentioned, as McCollum mentioned later in the same podcast. 

McCollum later signed a four-year, $106 million contract with the Portland Trail Blazers. He recalled how shocked and emotional he felt while signing the deal.

“I flew to Portland, and it was 4 years, $106 million,” CJ McCollum said. “I couldn’t believe it. I was shaking when I was signing. Like, ‘Oh my God. Thank you, Lord. Oh my God. Thank you, Jesus”

His reaction showed how much the contract meant to him personally. NBA Retweet shared McCollum’s comments on X, and fans had different reactions to his story.

NBA fans offer divided reactions 

The same NBA Retweet post led to different reactions from fans about McCollum and his contract. One fan liked how openly McCollum talked about wanting the money. The fan said players usually do not admit how much they want financial security.

The fan wrote, “Best athlete quote of the year. Every player says they would have held out for more. McCollum just admits he wanted the money in his account before anybody changed their mind. Most human thing anybody in this league has ever said.”

Another fan linked McCollum’s deal to NBA salary rules.

“He’s the reason why the new CBA came out. Can’t sign mid players to these numbers without being penalized. Detrimental to the league,” another fan said. 

One of the fans also criticized McCollum’s deal.

“got his bread and then decided that everyone else in the league shouldn’t be able to lmfao,” one of the fans shared the reaction. 

However, some fans supported CJ McCollum. One fan defended his decision and praised him.

“CJ is a great guy, and while I have read of other players saying it’s not that much money I think those guys are complete dolts,” a fan supported CJ. 

Another fan again brought up the CBA and said the deal harmed the league.

“He screwed everyone with the CBA. The CBA should have lower salary caps for the top players and higher overall salary cap for the teams!,” another fan wrote. 

The reactions showed that fans have very different views on McCollum’s contract.

Some fans liked his honesty about wanting to secure the money. Others criticized the deal and its possible impact on the NBA’s salary rules.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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