Why Jordan Poole Was Traded To The Pelicans

Why Jordan Poole Was Traded To The Pelicans

the 2026 season allowing them to make a big splash in free agency and a future second round pick to DC in return New Orleans will receive Jordan Pool Sadique Bay and the number 40 overall pick in this year’s draft the Wizards have acquired CJ McCullum from the Pelicans that is per multiple reports the Washington Wizards have been warning us that this could happen all year long saying that they view Jordan Pool more as a player that they wanted to pump the value of and flip to another team as opposed to a foundational piece they said this in his very first season on the roster and ultimately they proved to be right as this NBA off season has gotten off to a crazy start we dropped a video on Drew Holiday being traded back to the Portland Trailblazers at midnight last night and we’re back again with another video another trade where Jordan Pool has been traded to the New Orleans Pelicans for CJ McCollum now on the surface this trade doesn’t make a lot of sense why would the Washington Wizards a team that is trying to rebuild trade one of their younger players on a relatively good contract for a 33-year-old CJ McCollum well we’re going to break it all down in this video but before we get to the content make sure you drop like subscribe and turn on our notifications so you can get the latest NBA news and analysis to your device and now that we got all that out of the way cue the intro [Music] [Music] prize pix just hooked us up with another free square kaitlin Clark just needs one point in order for her square to hit and I’m typically automatic on free square plays this is practically free money i’m going to be pairing Caitlyn Clark with Angel Reese and Luis Castillo but if you missed this I’m going to also give you additional plays in my Discord server in order to take advantage of this make sure you go to the link in the description down below or use my promo code microphone to get $50 in lineups on prize picks when you make a play of $5 or more and if you happen to get this play way too late I give additional plays on my Discord server in the WP link in the description down below where we have been automatic and make almost 8 to 10 plays on a daily basis we have a team of individuals making these plays for you and thank you prize picks for today’s sponsor Mic Check1212 what’s going on everybody just hours ago ESPN broke the news that rocked the NBA world the New Orleans Pelicans have traded CJ McCollum and Kelly Olen to the Washington Wizards for Jordan Pool Sadique Bay and the 40th pick in the 2025 NBA draft hold on hold on hold on so I know what your reaction is and it’s very confusing the New Orleans Pelicans just traded their veteran leader for a guy who was considered to have one of the worst contracts in the NBA just two years ago and Washington just gave up their leading scorer for a 33-year-old coming off of a season ending injury this trade on the surface doesn’t make a lot of sense but I’m going to break it all down and explain why each team made this trade let’s start with the most important part of this trade Jordan Pool’s incredible bounceback season that nobody saw coming remember when he got traded from Golden State for Chris Paul nba Twitter absolutely destroyed that deal with fans saying that Jordan P really got traded for a 40-year-old CP3 while Jordan P ended up having the last laugh this season he averaged 20.5 points per game while shooting a careerhigh 37.8 8% from three but here’s the insane stat that proves his transformation pull set a new Wizards franchise record with 235 made threes breaking Bradley Beiel’s previous mark the guy who was supposed to be a cautionary tale about bad contracts just dropped 45 points against Cleveland and had an emotional 38 point performance in his return to Golden State but that’s not even the most important change and what I’m about to tell you explains why New Orleans was willing to bet big on him his teammates noticed something different cory Kisspford said “You can just tell his blood pressure is a lot lower.” Yeah you can I can you can just tell his blood pressure is a lot lower um you I couldn’t imagine the kind of stuff he was dealing with his first year here i mean coming to a brand new team from a place that or to a place that you’ve never been before and you’re asked to do a like a host of different things that maybe he didn’t have that role or that um responsibility with the Warriors highlighting how P completely transformed his approach and leadership style this isn’t the same player who made that infamous it’s my team comment during a timeout in his first Washington season now let’s talk about what New Orleans is giving up because this is where the trade gets really interesting cj McCollum isn’t just some aging veteran this man averaged 21.1 points per game on 44.4% shooting during one of the worst team seasons in recent memory remember that 50point explosion against Washington where he tied his careerhigh that wasn’t just a fluke performance that was CJ McCollum showing that he can still be a primary scoring option at the age of 33 his coach Willie Green called him rock solid even through all the losses but here’s where it gets complicated as the NBA president and the Pelicans unquestioned locker room leader McCollum was everything you want in a veteran so why trade him well this answer involves a complete organizational philosophy shift that’s about to change everything in New Orleans the brutal reality is this mccllum is 33 years old making $33.3 million this season and coming off of a season ending foot injury for a team that finished 21 and 61 those are the facts that you just can’t ignore and this is where most people think Washington lost their minds why would you trade your 25-year-old leading scorer for a 33-year-old veteran and the answer reveals everything about modern NBA team building and it’s actually quite genius under Michael Winger and Will Dawkins the Wizards are committed to sustainable contention through patient development as opposed to shortcuts and if you take a look at their roster Alexandre Sar is 19 years old bilal Koulabali is 20 years old and their average age is around 22 here’s the key insight pool’s prime years would be completely wasted during Washington’s 3 to fouryear rebuild they’re building for 2028 and beyond not 2026 by the time this young core is ready to compete P would be looking for his next contract and probably wouldn’t want to stay anyway but Mcllum’s expiring contract in 2026 that’s perfect timing by then Washington projects to have approximately hund00 million in cap space in order to add stars to their developed young core this patient approach mirrors successful rebuilds in OKC and Orlando where Winger and Dawkins previously worked actually and this is huge for development mccollum’s veteran presence provides invaluable mentorship for a roster where these young guys desperately need guidance you can’t put a price on that type of leadership now that explains the Wizards but what about the Pelicans because this move reveals a franchise that’s all in on their championship window under new team president Joe Dumars who was hired to reshape the franchise the Pelicans are in a desperate position despite finishing with the fourth worst record in the NBA they remain committed to building around Zion Williamson who managed just 30 games due to injuries dumar has made it clear that Zion remains the cornerstone of this franchise pool is 26 years old old Zion Williamson’s about to turn 25 years old but more importantly his elite three-point shooting addresses a critical need the Pelicans ranked 20th in three-point percentage last season so think about this combination cool shooting ability demands respect especially at 37.8% this past year defenders have to respect his range from 30 ft and this opens up the lane for Zion Williamson their pick and roll combinations could be absolutely devastating with pool shooting threat preventing help defense from collapsing on Williamson but there’s a massive risk here that could backfire spectacularly and I’ll tell you exactly what that is in one minute let me break down the financial wizardry that’s going on behind the scenes because this is where both teams really won for Washington acquiring McCollum in a Linux expiring contracts creates massive 2026 cap flexibility combined with their young players on rookie deals the Wizards can pursue max level free agents when their core matures the numbers are staggering washington could have approximately $100 million in cap space in 2026 which is exactly when players like Alexandre Sar and Bal Koulibali should be hitting their stride that’s not a coincidence that’s brilliant planning for New Orleans they’re getting slight salary relief by moving McCollum’s 33.3 million for Pool’s 31.8 million next season more importantly they’re getting younger while maintaining their competitive timeline the Pelicans have never paid the luxury tax in 22 years of existence so every dollar really matters here the trade also gives New Orleans three draft picks in the NBA draft they have number 7 23rd and 40th allowing them to add cost control talent to their new core that’s incredible asset management but this trade could go horribly wrong for both sides and this is something that should terrify Pelicans fans the defensive concerns with Jordan Pool are real the Wizards defense was significantly worse with him on the court during his previous stint and that was with better defensive teammates the Pelicans are depending on Herb Jones to be able to step up despite Jordan P’s presence but what happens in the playoffs when teams attack Jordan Pool relentlessly we’ve seen this movie before with other offensive-minded guards there’s also the personality factor despite his improvement league sources still have questions about Jordan P’s fit within locker rooms his it’s my team mentality could clash with Zion Williamson’s supposed leadership or create chemistry issues for Washington the risk is different but equally real what if McCollum’s foot injury affects his mobility long term at 33 years old recovery becomes more difficult and the Wizards need him healthy to mentor their young court effectively this trade reminds me of multiple traits that we’ve seen in NBA history the Chris Paul Russell Westbrook swap between teams with opposite trajectories offers the best comparison both franchises exchanged point guards at different career stages to match their competitive timelines and ultimately it worked out remarkably for OKC sha Gil just Alexander has been on record saying that he wouldn’t be the player that he is today if it wasn’t for Chris Paul’s mentorship you can make the same argument for Chris Paul’s next stop when he got traded to the Phoenix Suns that took an upand cominging Phoenix Suns team all the way to the NBA finals what makes this trade unique is its timing 24 hours before the NBA draft both teams can immediately pivot their draft strategies the Pelicans don’t need to worry about finding a guard that could score they already have that in Jordan Pool while Washington can focus purely on long-term upside with McCollum providing short-term stability but here’s the thing that could make or break this deal the playoff factor cj McCollum brings 11 years of postseason battles bull’s championship experience with Golden State provides credibility but his limited playoff sample size raises serious questions about his performance under pressure but at the end of the day both of these players have had very similar careers if you take a look at their numbers throughout the past eight years P’s 20.5 points per game on 43.2% shooting nearly matched McCollum’s 21.1 points per game on 44.4% shooting both players excel as three-point shooters though Mcllum’s 39.8% slightly edges Pool’s at 37.8% but here’s the one stat that shows why New Orleans made this move move pull averaged 9.1 three-point attempts per game demonstrating his value as a volume shooter who maintains above average efficiency in today’s NBA that’s exactly what you want next to a player like Zion Williamson who operates primarily in the paint but the advanced statistics tell you a completely different story mcllum’s 4.9 box plus minus represents a careerhigh showcasing his improved playmaking and shot selection meanwhile Pool’s defensive metrics remain concerning but his offensive impact metrics suggest that he can be a winning player if surrounded by the right pieces at the end of the day I give Washington a B+ for this trade they maximized Jordan Pool’s value while getting exactly what they needed veteran leadership and future flexibility mccllum’s mentorship could be invaluable for their development and the 2026 cap space aligns perfectly with their timeline for New Orleans I give them a B minus this is a very high-risk high-reward move that could either launch them into contention or blow up spectacularly pool’s fit with Zion has incredible potential but the defensive concerns and chemistry questions are real but let me know in the comment section down below do you think the Pelicans just stole a future all-star or did they trade away their most reliable player for a risky gamble aside from that I don’t know if you guys heard but the Boston Celtics just made a huge trade trading Drew Holiday to the Portland Trailblazers for Anthony Simons i made a video on that and I dropped it at 3:00 a.m eastern last night so if you missed it I’m going to leave it in the end screen and meet you guys there i’m your boy Mike and I’m dropping our mic until our next upload [Music]

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