On Friday, January 24, the New Orleans Pelicans fell to the Memphis Grizzlies, 139-126. That loss brings them one step closer to maximizing their chances in the 2025 NBA Draft lottery. It brought their record in January to 7-5, but they'll have their work cut out for them to mitigate the unexpected success they found this month.
Aside from Brandon Ingram and his expiring contract, CJ McCollum has to be the Pelicans' top trade candidate this season. The Pelicans have proven too green to compete for a championship and the 12-year, 33-year-old veteran isn't getting younger. With one year left on his current contract after this season, trading him now would be the best way to maximize his value.
Not only would it behoove New Orleans as a franchise to trade him before the deadline, but they also kind of owe it to him. He's been the requisite professional since arriving in the Big Easy, consistently morphing his game to fit the team's needs meanwhile the Pelicans continually come up short despite his best efforts. One thing's for sure, CJ McCollum has cemented his legacy with the Pelicans and he's on the verge of officially etching his name into the franchise's annals.
CJ McCollum needs to break the Pelicans' all-time 3-pointers made record before he's traded
When the Pelicans traded for CJ McCollum, he was a ball-dominant off-guard who did his best work carving his way into the lane to pull up for his patented midrange jumpers or squirreling all the way to the cup for easy looks. But with Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, two stars who thrive with the ball in their hands and attacking inside of the arc, New Orleans needed him to change his game.
The Pelicans desperately needed a lead ball-handler, and CJ was ready to answer the call. He went from averaging 3.4 assists with a 2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio with the Portland Trail Blazers to putting up 5.1 dimes a night to just two turnovers in New Orleans. He may not have become a true point guard in the Big Easy, but he definitely made major strides in his game to help ease the offense and provide support for BI, Zion, and the rest of the Pelicans' scorers.
Not only did they need him to become a floor general, but they also needed him to become an elite shooter to provide space for their slashers to attack the lane. With the Trail Blazers, he was a capable and dangerous outside shooter, but it was never his calling card. In Portland, he shot 39.6 percent from beyond the arc on 5.8 attempts per game.
In New Orleans, he upped both his efficiency and his volume from deep, averaging 40.2 percent shooting on 7.8 triples per night. Against the Grizzlies, he poured in three more on five shots from beyond the arc.
That performance gave him 623 total made threes as a Pelican, leaving him just five shy of Jrue Holiday's franchise record of 628. New Orleans has six games left before the trade deadline. Barring some unforeseen circumstance like injury or a deal getting done early, CJ has plenty of time to break the record, and he'll do so on far fewer attempts too. Holiday put up his 628 makes on 1817 tries while McCollum's only at 1550. CJ will be a franchise legend no matter what, but becoming the Pelicans' all-time leader in 3-pointers made would be a true testament to the heroics he's had in New Orleans.