Former Blazers Star CJ McCollum Traded to Wizards in Blockbuster Deal

The New Orleans Pelicans have traded former Portland Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, Sediq Bey, and the 40th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

The trade sees McCollum move to a struggling Wizards team that is in the middle of a full-scale rebuild. The Pelicans, on the other hand, get younger with Poole as the team's primary creator.

McCollum averaged 21.1 points per game last season with the Pelicans, playing in 56 games and adding 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game as well.

The New Orleans Pelicans are trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick, sources tell ESPN.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 24, 2025

The trade provides the Wizards with long-term cap relief, which gives the team $100 million in the 2026 offseason.

The Pelicans get a younger guard who, in theory, has more upside than McCollum at this stage in his career.

Poole was surrounded by several young, raw players in Washington, but he gets a more talented roster in New Orleans, which should finally give him a platform to succeed.

Whether or not the 26-year-old guard does flourish remains to be seen. It has been three seasons since his impressive 2022 playoff run when he played a key role on the Golden State Warriors winning the title that season.

As for McCollum, he gets the chance to handle the ball a lot in Washington, potentially boosting his trade value for a mid-season trade to a contender.

Even if a deal doesn't develop for him, McCollum will be an unrestricted free agent in the next offseason, giving him total freedom to play wherever he wants to.

McCollum is one of the greatest Blazers in history, leading the team to several playoff runs alongside former Blazer superstar Damian Lillard.

The 33-year-old guard played nine seasons with Portland, averaging 19 points per game during his entire stint with the franchise.

The six foot, three inch guard made the most out of his small stature and lack of explosiveness, honing his game around shot-making and ball-handling.

He was the Robin to Lillard's Batman for most of his time in Portland, giving the team two high-level creators on offense who developed great chemistry.

The duo's defense ultimately limited their playoff success, but they provided electric moments for the fans at the Rose Garden.

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