Two guards are changing places in yet another big trade ahead of the NBA Draft.
The New Orleans Pelicans are trading guard CJ McCollum, forward Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Poole, forward Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in the 2025 Draft, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Tuesday.
McCollum has been a solid lead guard in his three-and-a-half seasons with the Pelicans since joining at the trade deadline in 2022. However, the addition hasn't helped New Orleans take the leap to contender in the crowded Western Conference.
The 33-year-old averaged 21.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 56 games last season as the Pelicans fell far out of the playoff picture with a 21-61 record.
He'll now join a young Wizards team looking for veteran experience, particularly at the guard spot.
The Wizards will also gain a ton of financial freedom in the deal, which they can use going forward to continue their rebuild. They easily could have around $100 million in cap space for the summer of 2026, largely by clearing $57 million in expiring contracts for McCollum and Olynyk this coming season.
Olynyk, meanwhile, will also bring some veteran leadership to the rookie-laden Washington core.
The 34-year-old Canadian centre averaged 8.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.9 assists last season, splitting time between the Pelicans and Toronto Raptors. He was dealt to New Orleans as part of the deal that saw Brandon Ingram head north.
In the short term, the deal could also make the Wizards more competitive. They were next-to-last in three-point shooting last season; McCollum and Olynyk should be improvements there. McCollum is a locker room leader, a union president and still a very productive player — one of three players averaging at least 20 points in each of the last 10 seasons. The others are LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan.
On the other end, the Pelicans are set to acquire a player with championship pedigree, as Poole won the 2022 title with the Golden State Warriors.
The 26-year-old had a productive season leading the Wizards last year, averaging 20.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 68 games, but the team didn't do much winning as they stumbled to an 18-64 record.
Bey, meanwhile, missed the entirety of the 2024-25 season with a torn ACL in his left knee.
The 26-year-old averaged 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds while with the Atlanta Hawks in 2023-24.
The Pelicans are entering a new era under the direction of Joe Dumars — a former NBA champion as a player and general manager with Detroit — who was hired in April to replace David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations.
Last week, Dumars acquired a second first-round draft choice — 23rd overall — to go with the club's seventh overall pick in a trade that sent a 2026 first-rounder to Indiana.
This deal marks the third guard swap in the NBA in recent weeks. The Orlando Magic acquired Desmond Bane from the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Cole Anthony and a bevy of picks, while the Boston Celtics sent Jrue Holiday to the Portland Trail Blazers for Anfernee Simons and two second-rounders on Monday.
-- With files from the Associated Press
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