One of the biggest trades on the eve of the draft involved guards CJ McCollum and Jordan Poole. Find out what it means for the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans.
CJ McCollum-Jordan Poole Trade Details
The New Orleans Pelicans are trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the New Orleans Pelicans are trading McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft.
McCollum has been with the Pelicans since being traded there by the Portland Trail Blazers in February 2022.
The 33-year-old guard can still score at an effective rate. McCollum finished the 2024 campaign with 21.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game in 56 appearances with the Pelicans.
Olynyk came from the Toronto Raptors in the Brandon Ingram trade at last season’s trade deadline. Olynyk averaged 10.7 points and 5.9 rebounds in 20 games for the Pelicans.
Poole now finds himself on his third team in four seasons. Poole famously signed his four-year, $123 million contract extension with Golden State after helping the Warriors win the NBA title in 2022.
The following summer, Poole was traded to the Wizards. Pool averaged 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 1.3 steals last season with the Wizards.
After tearing his ACL, Bey has not played in a regular-season game since March 2024.
What Trade Means For Wizards And Pelicans
The funniest tweet I’ve seen today is that I’m going to get blamed for the tariffs now too 🤣🤣
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) June 24, 2025
The Wizards are looking to clear their books for the future.
McCollum is entering the final year of his contract, which will pay him around $30 million this season. Olynyk is also on an expiring contract.
Wizards forward Khris Middleton recently opted into his $33.3 million player option. Combine the three along with other expiring contracts, and the Wizards will have around $100 million in cap space.
The Wizards must find athletic guards in this year’s draft and pair them with some of their young talent, including Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly.
In a down Eastern Conference, perhaps the Wizards could be a borderline play-in team next season.
Meanwhile, the Pelicans still have a Zion Williamson problem. They’re stuck in purgatory until Williamson gets healthy, or they bite the bullet and trade him.
The Pelicans have a new executive vice president of basketball operations in Joe Dumars.
Taking a flyer on Poole is worth the risk. Three seasons ago, Poole was being talked about as the heir to Stephen Curry.
Like the Wizards, the Pelicans are far away from contending.
