NBA newsbreakers warned us that there would be plenty of activity around the draft. They made good on that promise with the fourth trade of the past two weeks.
The Pelicans moved on from CJ McCollum after parts of four seasons as a starter in New Orleans, trading the veteran shooting guard to the Wizards for Jordan Poole.
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What were each of these teams trying to accomplish with the deal, and how did they do? Here are the grades for both teams.
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CJ McCollum-Jordan Poole trade details
Pelicans receive:
- Jordan Poole
- Saddiq Bey
- No. 40 pick in 2025 draft
Wizards receive:
- CJ McCollum
- Kelly Olynyk
- Future second-round pick
Wizards trade grade
This trade is mostly about the financials for the Wizards. Let's briefly touch on the players involved first.
Shortly after getting traded to the Wizards, Poole emerged as one of the worst contracts in the NBA. He had a case for being the worst defender at his position, his poor decision-making went viral on a seemingly nightly basis, and his scoring efficiency was way down from his time with the Warriors.
Poole turned his career around last season, regaining his 3-point touch and becoming a serviceable NBA scorer once again. But at $31.8 million owed next year and $34 million the year after, he is still a bad contract that Washington must have been happy to offload.
Bey was also signed through the 2026-27 season, at a much more reasonable $6.2 million this year and $6.5 million next year.
McCollum and Kelly Olynyk make more money for the upcoming season, but both are expiring contracts. The benefit for the Wizards here is that they take on a few more million in the immediate future, but are creating massive cap space two years from now by getting off the Poole and Bey contracts a year early.
That cap space is important as Washington continues to patiently rebuild. Khris Middleton, McCollum, Smart, and Olynyk collectively earn $100 million and will be off the books in a year. They can use that space in order to help facilitate trades and acquire draft picks, as the Thunder did several years ago.
This isn't a sexy move for the Wizards, but it's a smart one that their previous regime probably would not have considered. Give them credit for making a move on the margins to help their long-term future.
Wizards grade: B
Pelicans trade grade
The financials are important to understand from the Pelicans' side as well. In shedding some salary this season, they are now comfortably $8 million under the luxury tax line. That is important for a team that has never paid into the tax throughout its entire history.
This is also a small bet on Poole's continued resurgence. He was better on both ends of the floor last season. At his peak, he was a critical player for a championship Warriors team. At 26 years old, there is still some hope that he can return to his previous trajectory.
Bey is also just 26 years old and should return from an ACL tear that kept him out of all of last season. The career 35.2 percent 3-point shooter gives New Orleans some added depth at the wing.
The Pelicans got younger with this trade, but there are still a lot of moves left for them to make with this roster.
Pelicans grade: C+
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