The NBA world exploded Wednesday night when, midway through the fourth quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans-Atlanta Hawks game, Trae Young was traded to the Washington Wizards. Many people were surprised at the cheap price the Wizards paid for the four-time All-Star, as they didn't have to include any draft capital in the deal and instead just sent Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum to Atlanta.
While on paper it may seem like the Wizards robbed the Hawks, many people are forgetting that Atlanta wanted to trade Trae Young and wasn't concerned about what they got in return. Now they get to plug in two really quality players in a spot that they felt Young was no longer filling. They also got the player with probably the most trade value in this entire trade: McCollum, an iron-man player on an expiring deal, posting a good efficient stat line. I'm not saying that McCollum is the best player in this deal, but on the trade market right now, he is probably the most sought-after piece.
McCollum's value serves a painful reminder of one of the Pelicans biggest offseason blunders.
The Pelicans gave up more for Jordan Poole than the Wizards did for Trae Young
When Joe Dumars arrived ahead of the 2025 offseason, the Pelicans were coming off a bottom-two finish in the Western Conference and a 61-loss season, so he was keen on making some changes. However, the changes he made were a nightmare from the start as he flipped CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and a 2027 second-round pick for Poole, Saddiq Bey, and a pick that turned into Micah Peavy.
Let's take a step back and look at this deal in hindsight. When you look at the package the Pelicans gave up for Poole, some may argue it is more valuable than what the Wizards gave up for Trae Young.
This trade was already looking like a nightmare, given how Poole has started his Pelicans tenure, missing 19 games to this point and shooting under 37 percent from the field. Meanwhile, McCollum has delivered steady production, 35 games played, and an 18+ points per game average on 45.4 percent shooting from the field, turning this deal into a tale of two opposites.
But now with Young being flipped for McCollum and Kispert, things look even worse for the Pelicans, as it's clear McCollum is still a valuable asset around the league. While my evaluation of Poole is that New Orleans would have to attach draft capital to move him.
So just as many Pelicans fans were starting to block out the memories of the Poole for McCollum swap, Trae Young brought that nightmare right back like the Boogeyman.