On Tuesday, it was announced that the Wizards are making a trade with the Pelicans, mainly centered around the exchange of Jordan Poole and CJ McCollum.
It seems like a minor move in the scope of where these teams are compared to the rest of the league, but it does unlock a historic opportunity for the Wizards.
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What historic opportunity does this trade create for Washington?
ESPN's Shams Charania shared the full details of the trade between the Pelicans and Wizards, with CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick going to Washington for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick.
Two great scorers will be swapping teams, but there's a bigger storyline here that some might not see on the surface.
The Wizards have been in rebuild mode for a few years now, and want to eventually get back to a playoff-contending team.
They still have a ways to go, but this trade allows this one thing for the Wizards next offseason.
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Shams reported that the Wizards are projected to have around $100 million in cap space in 2026.
That is an absurd amount for a team to have in this era of the NBA.
This is where the Wizards can start building a roster around some of their talented young players, maybe signing some decent names in free agency.
The 2026 projected group of free agents is pretty loaded at the moment, so this could all be in Washington's plans to capitalize and bring in a star or two.
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