Pelicans look to contend again after trade with Wizards

When the Pelicans traded for McCollum in 2022, they thought he was the missing piece to bring a veteran presence and shot creator to their young core of Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball and Zion Williamson. However, a mix of injuries, underperformance and roster mismanagement led to a disappointing three years in New Orleans, where the team never made it past the first round of the playoffs. 

New Orleans trading away the 33-year-old McCollum, who is on an expiring contract, for the younger Poole, 26, shows the organization's intent to make win-now moves to win a playoff series for the first time since the 2017-18 season. 

Poole has been in the NBA wilderness in Washington the last two seasons, but returned to the high level of play of his time with the Golden State Warriors, averaging 20.5 points and 4.5 assists while shooting 37.8% from three-point range, per Basketball Reference. 

Poole is owed $65M over the next two years, but with fellow Pelicans guard Dejounte Murray recovering from a torn Achilles tendon, New Orleans needed a player who can create his own offense and create shots for others. 

Although he never suited up for the Wizards in a year hampered by injuries, Bey also offers the Pelicans more athleticism and versatility on the wing, where they desperately need it. While New Orleans does have Trey Murphy III coming off a career year where he averaged 21.2 points a game, its front-court depth was shallow after trading Brandon Ingram to the Toronto Raptors. 

Bey and Poole are nice pieces for the Pelicans to try and make some noise in the West and improve on their dismal 61-loss campaign last year, but the bottom line for the Pelicans remains Williamson. 

The former No. 1 pick seemed destined for superstardom, but now, as he enters Year 7 of his NBA career, he remains a question mark on the Pelicans roster. When Williamson plays, he's electric, think back to his 40-point outburst against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2024 play-in game, but his availability is still a major concern. He's missed 278 games due to injury while playing in just 214.

New Orleans adding Poole to the roster can take some of the playmaking burden off Williamson and perhaps allow him to stay healthy and return to his All-Star form. 

The West will be formidable next year, with the defending-champion Oklahoma City Thunder as well as the re-tooled Lakers and Houston Rockets. While the Pelicans might not rise to the top, making their roster younger and more athletic, even if it means committing to more money long-term, will help them return to winning ways.