Pelicans' Jordan Poole Trade Looks Even Worse After the Trae Young Blockbuster

The New Orleans Pelicans' offseason trade to acquire Jordan Poole in exchange for CJ McCollum looks even worse after the latter was dealt for Trae Young.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Hawks and the Washington Wizards officially kicked off the trade season on Wednesday. The Wizards acquired Trae Young in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert. The underwhelming return raised many eyebrows around the league, but for Pelicans fans, it was a reminder of an under-the-radar bad trade their front office made in the offseason.

Over the summer, the Pelicans traded McCollum, along with Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick, to the Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the 40th-overall pick in the draft. That pick was used to select Micah Peavy.

After seeing what the Wizards could get using McCollum's expiring salary, that trade looks even more questionable than it did in July. Sure, Bey has been a solid rotation piece, and Peavy could have a future in the NBA, but Poole's albatross of a contract completely overshadows those wins.

Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum Trade Looks Even Worse in Hindsight

Poole is making $31.8 million this season and is owed $34 million in the 2026-27 season. Considering the way he has played all season, Poole is a very negative asset that the Pelicans would have to give up draft capital to get out of. The 26-year-old guard is hitting 36.5% of his shots from the field and 31% from downtown. His efficiency and assist rate have taken a dive, all while playing as badly as ever defensively.

Not only is McCollum having a better season than Poole, but his contract expires at the end of the season. The Pelicans could have used his expiring salary to bring in a younger player who could be a part of this core for years to come. While the Wizards can use McCollum to trade for a three-time All-Star still in his prime, the fact that the Pelicans got Poole and his $34 million on the books next season for the same player is embarrassing.

With so many things going wrong for the Pelicans this season, how big a disappointment Poole has been has gone under the radar. The former Warrior has been nowhere near what the front office expected of him, and he will continue to be a distressed asset that the Pelicans will likely not be able to get out of without giving up additional assets.

This was a clear misevaluation of talent from Joe Dumars and the front office. Whether it was underrating McCollum or overrating Poole, it's clear that the Pelicans missed the mark with this deal. Now, they would have to give up significantly more value than Bey and Peavy if they ever want to get out of Poole's contract, adding to the long list of Dumars' questionable moves since taking over.