Feb 14, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Washington Wizards guard Jordan Poole (13) knocks the ball away from New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado (15) out of bounds during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Ex-Warriors Champion Named Worst Free Agency Move

Originally posted on New Orleans Pelicans on SI
By Farbod Esnaashari | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 6:16 AM ET

The New Orleans Pelicans are a team in a very interesting position. Last season, it looked like the team was poised to make some noise in the playoffs after adding Dejounte Murray to a team that was potentially loaded on paper.

Unfortunately, things did not work out due to injury, and the team decided to trade both Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum. On paper, it does not look like the Pelicans are anywhere near as good as they were last season, but one NBA analyst believes they could potentially have made the worst free agency move possible.

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Dan Favale of Bleacher Report predicted that the worst move of free agency would be the New Orleans Pelicans trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and a future second-round pick to the Wizards for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the draft rights to Micah Peavy.

"Poole is coming off an encouraging campaign, but his offensive stock is nothing if not turbulent, he's not a true floor general, and the defense with any combination of him, Queen, Fears and Zion Williamson will be a big woof," Favale said.

Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

Not only did Favale criticize signing Poole, but he also believed adding $40 million in salary to the books could be a horrible move.

"On top of all that, the ever cost-conscious (read: notoriously stingy) Pelicans are adding over $40 million to their 2026-27 books for reasons that are, at best, not entirely clear—and at worst, completely nonexistent," Favale added.

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How Will Jordan Poole Fit on the Pelicans?

Make no mistake, Jordan Poole will have a massive opportunity with the New Orleans Pelicans. There's a good chance he'll be a starting guard on the team alongside Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Yves Missi.

While the team won't be expected to have the same standards as last year's Pelicans, there's a potential for them to upset people. There's a legitimate opportunity for Poole to play meaningful minutes with New Orleans, but there's also a high chance he plays meaningless minutes for a lottery team again.

Last season with the Washington Wizards, Poole averaged 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds on 43/38/88 shooting from the field. If he can replicate that same production with the Pelicans, then New Orleans could surprise some people.

This article first appeared on New Orleans Pelicans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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