The Pelicans have had an extremely active offseason to this point. New Orleans drafted both Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen in the first round of the 2025 NBA draft. They signed Kevon Looney and parted ways with CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk while acquiring Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and Micah Peavy.
Out of all these moves, the most intriguing one was the Jordan Poole CJ McCollum swap, as the Pelicans were able to trade an aging McCollum for a younger, better guard in Poole. However, Wizards fans should be excited as they are about to learn how valuable McCollum is to a young team in need of leadership.
Back in February 2022, New Orleans traded for McCollum. They needed veteran leadership and found it in CJ. During his four seasons with the Pelicans, he consistently provided an offensive punch and was healthy for the majority of his time with the Pels. The soon-to-be 34-year-old's offensive production is likely to take a step back. That being said, Washington is still getting a player who brings 12 years of NBA experience and has been around a talented young core before.
Even though I think New Orleans walked away from this trade with the best player, Jordan Poole, Washington was able to acquire something that Poole can't provide: experience and veteran leadership.
This deal was a win-win one
This deal was a total win for both sides. The Pelicans are at a point where they no longer need a veteran to lead their group, as Joe Dumars expects that leadership to come from Zion Williamson. Therefore, there was no need for McCollum and his services anymore, making trading him for a better, younger player an excellent move by the Pelicans front office.
On top of that, acquiring both Saddiq Bey and Micah Peavy were great additions. Bey brings experience and will be a significant threat as a three-and-D wing of the Pelicans bench, while Peavy has tremendous potential as a versatile defender.
For Washington, they moved off three contracts to bring back two. Something they needed to do as they were running out of roster space. They did this while also getting a culture setter in CJ McCollum.
Setting a culture is something every team in a rebuild needs to do early to have a better idea of the type of players they want to draft and sign going forward.
The Oklahoma City Thunder did this during the start of their rebuild by bringing in guys like Chris Paul, Al Horford, and Danilo Gallinari. Washington GM Will Dawkins is coming from the Thunder front office and is implementing this same strategy by bringing in McCollum, Khris Middleton, and, before being bought out, Marcus Smart.
The formula the Thunder created was bringing in high-IQ veterans to help teach the young players the ropes of the NBA while establishing a professional winning culture. With the moves Washington has made, they are now doing the same.