Pelicans TRADE CJ McCollum to Wizards | Jordan Poole to New Orleans | James Skrmetta Reacts

Pelicans TRADE CJ McCollum to Wizards | Jordan Poole to New Orleans | James Skrmetta Reacts

pelicans trace CJ McCullum to the Wizards for Jordan Pool Sadique Bay Ladies and gentlemen the 40th overall pick Ladies and gentlemen Pelicans talk multiple times this week Look at that Huh Little bit of Pelicans talk Hey by the way before we get into this video guess what The store is live Merch is live The store is live Get involved Shirts mug we got the dome dog shirt We got the boiling hot takes the gumbo of hot takes if you will And then the scrata mug Get on down there All right the store is open I am shookth opening this store to the public I’ve been terrified to do it But I’ve actually had a few people find it before I even released it Did some orders so I have to release it now We are not drop shipping This is I am the warehouse manager So give me a little bit of grace here Give me a little bit of time Uh I’m going to try and get these orders out as fast as possible but I’ve never I’ve never shipped nothing before Okay the Titanic I mean this is out of control So but thank you very much for everyone who’s already made orders uh who’s who buys the shirt all that stuff $50 uh gets you free shipping by the way I don’t think that’s on the site but it is if you if you get 50 bucks you see the free shipping Uh but yeah anyone everyone who supports I mean you don’t have to buy a shirt or a mug to support but it’s just incredible the support that everyone’s given me over the last couple years here and we’re just on we’re just getting started So let’s go ahead and get straight into the CJ McCullum news This trade it makes a lot of sense for both teams It’s one of those weird trades where it’s like yeah okay Like when it comes through if you’re the Pelicans you’re going “All right.” And if you’re the Wizards you’re like “All right.” Like it just kind of is what both teams need They’re both kind of in that uh period the the Wizards are trying to get you know they’re trying to get some veteran players in there They’re trying to mentor some of these young guys They’re trying to be professionals They’re trying to not be one of the worst franchises in the NBA Uh so CJ McCullum fits that perfect He is a professional He is a high character guy high you know he is a true mentor He’s exactly who you’d want for that Conversely and I ain’t talking shoes the Pels are trying to get younger They’re trying to get more dynamic They’re trying to get more athletic and also Troy Weaver the new GM Joe Dumar they are bringing in their guys Sadique Bay obviously Jordan Pool but Weaver was with Washington They’re Washington guys Sadique Bay also put up 50 points for the Detroit Pistons which just so happens to be where Troy Weaver was before Washington So this is that moment of these guys kind of just saying “Hey look if we’re going to do this we need our people in here Uh I think it makes sense for what the Pells want to do Jordan Pool should he be your main guy No Should he be making 30 $40 million No Should he be you know the guy who’s supposed to win you games No But he is a lights out shooter He is a playmaker Uh he is dynamic He’s still young You know certainly younger than C.J McCullum So from where I’m sitting I like it News out of the NBA where the Wizards have acquired CJ McCullum from the Pelicans That is per multiple reports The trade will also send Kelly Oolen and a future second round pick to DC In return New Orleans will receive Jordan You know what’s so crazy about Kelly Olen Like you know when I was like I was going to games last year there was quite a few games where you’re you watch a few possessions and you’re like “Wait a second Are they running the offense through Kelly Oolen?” And then you watch and you’re like “Damn they are like they are running the offense through him He is literally doing everything He’s touching the ball first He’s facilitating He’s the scorer It was crazy to watch It was It was vomit inducing Pool Sadique Bay and the number 40 overall pick in this year’s draft The trade will give Washington nearly $100 million in cap space in the 2026 season allowing them to make a big splash in free agency Yeah So the 40th pick is really this whole thing is interesting because the Pels now have the seven 23 and 40 right So I have a sneaky feeling they’re going to make a big- time move Whether that is moving up in the draft to get whoever or whether that’s packaging these picks Jordan Pool maybe even whoever and going and trying to trade for a big-time player We’ll see I I just have a all the stuff that’s been happening you know all the picks all the trades it just seems like it’s setting up for something What is it Who the hell knows I mean you know it’s you don’t want to get too far into speculations but I would be stunned if the Pels were done I I I’d be shocked if like this is just it I I think they’re setting up for something [Music] Let’s welcome in our coach here Avery Johnson All right Avery Uh we’re going to start getting these trades Fast and Furious What do you think about this one going down This has Joe Dumar’s name written all over it Joe Dumar is the new sheriff in town as uh president of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans And he he basically wants to resurrect this team and get this team uh to become a playoff team And he’s starting by getting rid of some pieces that he probably believes underperform CJ McCollum you know terrific scorer but very inconsistent Um not that great on the defensive end So you can you can see Joe Dumar because he really loves guards that can defend uh their position I do appreciate you know it would have been easy for Dumar to come in here and just be like you know what we’re going to take it slow We’re going to try and figure out what we have here But I do appreciate that he’s coming in shaking things up and bringing in players and making moves and doing what he’s got to do And again I think I like I like CJ I mean I think CJ was great for the city I think he was a great spokesperson for the team and nothing but good things to say about CJ I didn’t try his wine but uh if he I mean if he sends me a bottle I’ll try it But nothing against him It’s just the Pells are going in a different direction And you know I this is not surprising at all but I do like that Dumar and his team are hitting the ground running So this is this is Joe Dum especially right before the drafts uh putting this imprint on this team trying to revamp this roster Uh we’ll see what happens as it relates to Zion Williamson if they’re going to retain him or if they’re going to move him on But this is going to be the start of moves that Joe Dum Mars is going to make to really try to uh position the Pelicans to be a playoff team Okay so this is step one Um obviously we have the draft tomorrow A lot of people excuse me have talked about what they’re going to do because there’s a number of position positions uh that they do need to fill What should the second step be for this Pelicans team if they do want to resurrect this team to get to the playoffs Well I mean like I said earlier in this video we’re going to see if they move up We’re going to see if they package something together move some pieces get up in the draft Um and then obviously if they’re targeting a specific player that’s going to answer the question of like what positions they’re looking to fill But it’s also interesting to see what’ll happen now with some of these other players right Dumar’s and his team they inherited all these players So what do they think of Herb Jones What do they think of Trey Murphy What do they think of uh you know anyone on the roster We know what they think of Zion and and Willie Green They’ve already said they’re committed to him whatever And granted talk is cheap around draft time but I I would think everybody could be moved I would think anyone and everybody could be moved Uh because Dum Mars isn’t tied to any of them The Pelicans um made a deal with the Indiana Pacers and they have Indiana’s first round pick uh late in the first round So that gives them two first round picks But I I think at the end of the day the Pelicans are gonna really look for more shooting on the perimeter that if they’re going to retain Zion Williamson he needs space He needs space to operate Yeah that was a big problem In the video I made earlier this week I talked about there were times over the last couple of years where you know Zion’s crashing in Jonas is already down there You know concrete feet Jonas and then Zion has to dish it out to some combination of Jose Alvarado Dyson Daniels Larry Nance Naji Marshall and none of these guys are really shooters you know So even even Herb Jones isn’t a shooter So it does kind of make sense to when you’re thinking about this team and you’re thinking about at full health and and fully available you’re thinking about Dejonte Murray and Zion and Zion crashing down and then him kicking it out to Trey Murphy or him kicking out to Jordan Pool and all of a sudden it’s like well I can see something here I can see something I can Okay we I see a vision They need quality depth You could can tell with Indiana and and also the the world champs OKC those teams are nine 10 11 deep So they they’re going to look for quality depth with Yeah Pel also the last couple years have been horrific when it comes to the second string third string when they get in those rotations You know a lot of the times we weren’t it just the longer the game went the worse we got I mean I can’t tell you how many times you know we’re down six going into the half and then we’re down 22 going into the fourth quarter because when some of the second and third rotational players that we’ve had compared to some of the second and third rotational players other teams have it’s unbelievable I mean some of these players like Garrett Temple and players like that shouldn’t even have been on the roster much less on the floor So yeah the Pelas absolutely have to get deeper with this move Um but again this is a situation where they want two-way players They just don’t want offensive players They want they want players that can play both ends of the floor Yeah Of course though in Oklahoma City Sam Prey uh took a couple years to acquire basically every draft pick uh for the next decade or so Avery Johnson we appreciate it We will talk to you actually very soon Yeah man I think it’s a good like I said this isn’t one of those things where Jordan Pool’s not going to win the MVP Jordan Pool is not going to drag this team to the playoffs but it’s a trade that does signal a vision It does signal an identity It does signal that this front office has an idea of what what direction they want to go in And maybe this is the first domino or one of multiple dominoes that are going to fall uh come draft night or or whatever But I like that they’re proactive and I like that some they’re changing some stuff up I wouldn’t have minded if they moved off Zion and Willie and just fully rebuilt this thing with their vision and because they they need something right Like the Pels need something So we’ll see how it plays out We’ll see if Jordan Pool and them even end up in New Orleans or if they’re packaged and part of a deal by the time you watch this video Who the hell even knows But overall I think it’s a win-win for both teams Washington made out fine New Orleans makes out fine On to draft night we go All right ladies and gentlemen Buy a shirt buy a mug

BREAKING TRADE ALERT 🚨 The New Orleans Pelicans have traded CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the No. 40 pick in the NBA Draft! In this video, James Skrmetta breaks down the blockbuster trade, what it means for both franchises, and whether or not the Pelicans actually came out on top.

Did New Orleans get younger and more dynamic? Is Jordan Poole the scoring punch the Pelicans need alongside Zion and Ingram? Or did they give up too much veteran leadership in CJ McCollum?

James covers:
Full trade details and reactions
How Poole fits in New Orleans’ rotation
What this means for the Pelicans’ draft strategy
Cap space implications for both teams
Grading the trade from both sides

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REACTION VIDEO: Pelicans TRADE CJ McCollum to Wizards for Jordan Poole @CBSSports https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BcTExOmtnU

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