Grades: Pelicans and Trail Blazers trade for CJ McCollum

Grades for the New Orleans Pelicans trade for CJ McCollum

Even though I was sad to see Josh Hart go, I was happy to see the trade for McCollum, as I thought it was the right move given where the Pelicans are now and where they want to be.

I think this was a slam dunk trade for the Pelicans, as they got a third piece to go with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, a guy who is a team player who won’t mind being a secondary option and will thrive in that role and is only under contract for two more seasons.

He should still be very productive over the rest of this contract, which gives the Pelicans a chance to win now and into the future without hurting their long-term plans or flexibility.

McCollum is a high-volume 40 percent 3-point shooter and a guy who can still explode for big nights, which takes some of the pressure off Ingram to always be the focal point.

Losing Hart hurts, but the rest of those guys weren’t contributing, so this is a big net gain for the Pelicans, who now have a bigger team with more scoring.

Larry Nance is the wildcard of this trade to me, as he can replace most of what Josh Hart gave you, is a rebound/hustle guy just like Hart but he’s also 6-foot-7 and adds to the Pels’ overall length on defense.

The big question is whether Nance will be healthy this season, as he just suffered a setback in his injury recovery, but if he does, he’ll be a welcome addition to their depth chart and the loss of Hart won’t sting so much on the defensive end.

I think this trade makes the Pelicans the favorite to make the play-in tournament and also sets them up to be a contender next season when they are at full strength.

Slight marks off for the inclusion of Hart but I am sure it was a deal breaker for Portland.

Grade: B+