Winners and Losers from Pelicans' and Wizards' Jordan Poole-CJ McCollum Trade

Consuming NBA news this offseason could be like drinking from the firehose. We haven’t hit the draft, and Desmond Bane, Kevin Durant and Jrue Holiday have all already been traded.

And Tuesday, Jordan Poole, CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk joined them as players on the move.

ESPN’s Shams Charania shared details on the swap between the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans:

Now, it’s time to break down the deal through our trusty “winners and losers” lens.

Winners: CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk

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This isn’t hard to sell as a win for the Pelicans veterans headed to Washington.

First and most importantly, they’re out of the brutal Western Conference. Even on the Wizards, they may have a clearer path to a play-in spot than New Orleans does. The East was already the less competitive conference. And in 2025-26, it’ll be without injured stars Tyrese Haliburton, Jayson Tatum and Damian Lillard.

Making that move in a contract year is a bonus, too. And Olynyk and McCollum will both be on expiring deals this season. Now, they get a chance to boost their individual values on a rebuilding team with plenty of shots available and in a conference with fewer high-end defenses.

This campaign could make a little extra money for both on their next contracts.

Loser: Jordan Poole

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The inverse of that, of course, is Jordan Poole having to go West and joining a team with plenty of shots already spoken for.

Being a guard may give him some control over the flow of the offense and distribution of possessions, but the Pelicans should almost certainly prioritize the offense of Trey Murphy III and Zion Williamson over Poole.

Of course, he's used to playing with high-volume scorers from his time with the Golden State Warriors, but Poole likely got used to playing with a neon green light in Washington. He may not have that anymore.

That's not necessarily a bad thing for plenty of NBA players, but have you watched Poole play basketball? That man loves to get his shots up.

Winner: Washington Wizards

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The Wizards can sell this trade in the short term as an addition of veteran leadership from McCollum and Olynyk that will help players like Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly mature a bit quicker.

And there could be plenty of truth to that.

But it's hard to look at the contracts of these incoming Wizards and not think about the financial freedom that could be 12 months down the road.

McCollum and Olynyk both being unrestricted free agents in 2026 means Washington could have close to $100 million in cap space that summer.

And while it may not look like a free-agent destination right now, max contracts can make any market look more intriguing. And Sarr and Coulibaly have all year to sell potential free agents on wanting to join them down the road. If those two show off some development in 2025-26, an offense-first star may want the protection both can provide on the other end.

Loser: New Orleans Pelicans

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The Pelicans aren't obvious losers here. There may be a prospect they're dying to draft with that 40th pick. And the financial obligation to Poole isn't crazy.

But the former Wizard is due $34 million in 2026-27. McCollum's and Olynyk's money would've been off the books by then. At the very least, that means a little less flexibility for New Orleans.

Plus, as already mentioned, Poole is a bucket-getter. On a team with Williamson and Murphy, someone a few notches closer to the pass-first side of the spectrum would've made more sense.

Dejounte Murray will take on much of that responsibility, but his balancing act would've been easier with McCollum still in that shooting guard spot.