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New York Times
6 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
For Wizards, C.J. McCollum trade wasn't about on-court value
Kyrie Irving will sign a new contract to keep him in Dallas for the long haul, while, as many expected, Boston is parting ways with two key core players. Follow along for the latest. Getty Images The Washington Wizards' salary dump of Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey to the Pelicans for C.J. McCollum and Kelly Olynyk shouldn't come as a big shock. (Washington also sent out the 40th pick in this week's draft and receives a protected Bulls 2027 second-rounder from the Pelicans). Yes, it sets up the Wizards to have cap space in 2026. But there's a short-term element in play too. For those who aren't following the script, the Wizards are pot-committed to being bad this year by virtue of the top-8 protected pick they owe the Knicks; the obligation will be extinguished after this season. Landing in the bottom eight (or bottom four, technically, to guard against lottery misfortune) shouldn't be a problem with this roster, but Washington isn't taking any chances. In a related story, there is virtually no chance C.J. McCollum finishes this season in a Wizards uniform. Washington can either repackage him before the season starts, trade him at the deadline or, in the worst case, buy him out in late February. He has a $30.7 million expiring deal the Wizards may be able to turn into draft capital and a dead contract. Between McCollum, Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart, the Wizards have three vets on expiring deals they can package in similar ways. Washington also now has full custody of a 2027 second-round pick from Chicago. Previously, it was theirs only if it fell in picks 31-50. Bulls fans in the audience can already tell you this distinction probably doesn't matter, but it's a small chip coming back from New Orleans. There is a decent chance this turns into a larger deal, since it can't be executed until July 6. For instance, Washington could stuff another $17 million into the trade from a third team and still stay under the luxury tax by taking Olynyk into its nontaxpayer midlevel exception. Other creative shenanigans are possible, too. Patrick Smith / Getty Images From the New Orleans side, the C.J. McCollum-Jordan Poole trade is a more straightforward basketball move: the Pelicans took one longer money to get better. Poole low-key had a solid year in 2024-25 and gives the Pels a shot-creating guard if Dejounte Murray isn't fully recovered from his torn Achilles. Bey was originally drafted by the ex-Pistons mafia that now populates Detroit's front office. While they took on longer contracts, the Pels also get some much-needed breathing room from the luxury-tax line with the $6 million in 2025-26 salary they cut in the deal. They also now have three picks in the 2025 draft at 7, 23, and 40. Finally, the Pels likely will generate a $13.5 million trade exception for the outgoing Kelly Olynyk by taking Bey into their trade exception for Jonas Valančiūnas — ironically the result of a sign-and-trade with the Wizards last summer. Myles Turner is ranked as The Athletic's No. 1 center in this year's free agency class, but Pacers coach Rick Carlisle intends for Turner to stay put. Despite Turner's poor showing in the NBA Finals and Tyrese Haliburton's ruptured right Achilles potentially altering the team's offseason decisions, Carlisle went to bat for Turner during his weekly appearance Tuesday on Indiana's 107.5 The Fan. 'I don't think it's any secret that (for) the franchise, at this particular moment, that is the No. 1 priority,' Carlisle said of re-signing Turner. 'I don't know anything about money or numbers or years or any of that kind of stuff, but Myles is a very important part of what we've done here, what we've been doing. He's a very important part of the history of the franchise, certainly over the last decade.' Turner, the 2015 No. 11 pick, has spent his entire 10-year NBA career in Indiana. The 6-foot-11 center has led the NBA in blocks per game twice and became the Pacers' all-time leader in blocks during the 2023-24 season. Turner averaged 15.6 points. 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game during the 2024-25 regular season. He shot 48.1 percent from the field and a career-high 39.6 percent on 3s. However, Turner's production dipped to just 10.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks across seven NBA Finals games against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Pacers lost the series, falling one victory short of their first NBA title, while Turner shot just 37.7 percent from the field and 21.4 percent on 3s. Turner inked a two-year, $58 million contract extension with the Pacers in January 2023 that will officially expire June 30 and make him an unrestricted free agent. The 29-year-old's BORD$ value, per The Athletic's John Hollinger, is $31 million annually, which would likely require Indiana to enter the luxury tax — something the franchise hasn't done since the 2005-06 season — to retain him. 'I'm not privy to every little conversation going on there. But Myles is a very important part of what we're doing,' Carlisle reemphasized. '… We have great people that are making the decisions in our organization, starting with (owner Herb) Simon and (president of basketball operations) Kevin (Pritchard) and (general manager) Chad (Buchanan). I've never been more confident about the future of the Pacers.' GO FURTHER NBA free agency 2025: Myles Turner tops long list of starting-caliber center talent I realize this isn't the biggest transaction of the cycle, but I'm shocked the Heat picked up Keshad Johnson's team option for $1.955 million. I thought for sure they would decline it and try to bring him back on a 2-way contract, as he made little impact after the Heat signed him to a roster contract midway through last season. Also, since the Heat are once again dancing with the luxury-tax line, note that because Johnson was undrafted, he counts the same as a veteran minimum ($2.296 million) for tax purposes. Matthew Stockman / Getty Images The Denver Nuggets can offer Nikola Jokić an extension this summer for three years and more than $200 million, and they intend to do so, Josh Kroenke, the team's vice chairman, said today. But do they expect Jokić to accept immediately? Kroenke didn't have an easy answer for that. "We're definitely going to offer it," Kroenke said today. "I'm not sure if he's going to accept it or not, because we're also going to explain every financial parameter around him signing now versus signing later. Be completely transparent. That's the way we always are. And then he makes the best decision for himself and his family, and we'll support him." It would likely behoove the Nuggets for Jokić to lock in as soon as possible but Kroenke left the door open that he won't. If he's right, that doesn't mean it suddenly becomes a situation worth watching. Jokić has two years and a player option left on the supermax deal that kicked in prior to the 2023-24 season. But the Nuggets have had a lot of turnover in the last few months. They fired head coach Mike Malone and replaced him with David Adelman. They fired general manager Calvin Booth and didn't directly replace him, instead hiring former Timberwolves exec Jon Wallace as Executive Vice President of player personnel and promoting Ben Tenzer to EVP of basketball operations. Those will represent the new braintrust in Denver and report to Kroenke. Kroenke noted Tuesday that the structure might be "unorthodox" but said that goes in line with how the franchise has gotten to this point. "Most everything that has got us to this point has been unorthodox," Kroenke said. "We've hired first time guys before. And our best player is the 41st pick, and (has) a very unorthodox manner (with) the way he plays the game. So everything about us is unorthodox. I think, from a process standpoint, I think it was important for us as an organization, and myself and my father to really slow down, take stock of what the organization really needed at this point in time, talk to a lot of different people from a lot of different areas, and gain a lot of different perspective, both in the basketball world and out of the basketball world. Really, kind of nailing down what the Denver Nuggets need, and that's the margins on the outside of our roster. And I think that both John and Ben's complementary skill sets are really going to help us address those things in a creative way moving forward." CJ McCollum is expected to add veteran leadership on the Wizards' roster, which team officials deem important with unrestricted free agent guard Malcolm Brogdon likely to sign elsewhere this summer. McCollum, who is more comfortable playing off the ball than Jordan Poole is, also should help enhance playmaking and shot-creation opportunities for the Wizards' young players. McCollum is a lower-usage player than Poole and also has a better assist-to-turnover ratio than Poole. One of the Wizards' priorities is to retain their own first-round pick for the 2026 draft. Because of a trade made in 2020, Washington would convey its 2026 first-round pick to the New York Knicks if it falls outside the top eight. By making today's trade with the Pelicans, the Wizards are giving more player-development opportunities for their youngest players and, in the process, likely will increase the likelihood of retaining their 2026 first-round pick. So, the Wizards made a trade in the summer of 2025 to acquire a bunch of veterans who have contracts that will expire after next season, creating cap space in the summer of 2026, allowing the Wizards to make trades to acquire more veterans on onerous contracts, offering teams financial flexibility/savings in return for draft compensation. You have to love the NBA. After the Jordan Poole-C.J. McCollum trade, the Wizards could have eight players under contract whose salaries add up to only about $51 million heading into the summer of 2026. The salary cap projects to be $170 million in 2026-27. Washington will have massive sway in the market next summer, however it wants to use it. Jordan Poole has two years left on his current deal ($31.8 million next season, $34 million in 2026-27). With this trade, the Pelicans get some additional playmaking with Dejounte Murray sidelined due to an Achilles injury and more draft capital. C.J. McCollum, who averaged 21.1 points per game in his four seasons with the Pelicans, is heading into the final year of his deal. Detroit Pistons team president Trajan Langdon said the Pistons 'aren't going to be super aggressive' this summer. He said Detroit is more interested in improving internally and around the margins. Tim Warner / Getty Images How are West teams adjusting to the idea that it probably takes a 60-win-caliber team to realistically hang with Oklahoma City in a playoff series? A 50-win Denver team and a 48-win Memphis team fired their coaches in the final weeks of the season; Memphis then traded Desmond Bane for four first-round picks in a bid to remix a core that wasn't going to be good enough in the Age of Thunder. The Houston Rockets, meanwhile, bravely went the other way, pushing some chips in on a young team to acquire Kevin Durant after a first-round playoff defeat. Even after acquiring Kevin Durant, the Rockets feel like they're one move away from being on Oklahoma City's level. In a related story, they still can trade five future first-round picks. GO FURTHER With Thunder on top, NBA's 'wide-open' Western Conference is a thing of the past Michael Reaves / Getty Images The Ace Bailey question has taken the draft world by storm this week, after he canceled a workout with Philadelphia. However, Bailey's evaluation is complicated, and this has been true for months, not days or weeks. The intel that NBA teams have on Bailey, from having spoken with over a dozen sources throughout the season and pre-draft process, is that his teammates enjoyed being around him. He has a lot of infectious energy. But he's a bit immature and can struggle with focus, those sources said. His pre-draft interviews with teams at the NBA Draft Combine did not go particularly well, as it seemed like he went into them a bit ill-prepared for what was being asked of him, according to sources. They weren't so bad as to knock him off of anyone's board, but they raised further questions about what exactly has been happening with his pre-draft process, as he's largely been shielded from teams. It's easy to chalk this up to Bailey being a teenager, and it's completely reasonable to think that he'll mature as he gets older. You can also chalk up the lack of preparation for interviews to questionable representation, and there are certainly many scouts and executives around the NBA who have questions about how effectively he's been repped. Right now, we're down to two possibilities. Either Bailey's agent Omar Cooper — whose lone experience repping a potential top-five pick was with Isaac Okoro in 2020 before Okoro left to be represented by Excel — is effectively steering Bailey toward a desired location, or he's bungled the process and will cause an unplanned slide for Bailey on draft night. The reality is that he just might not be for everyone. Read more intel in my latest NBA mock draft. GO FURTHER NBA mock draft 2025: Why Ace Bailey is the mystery man of draft week Kirby Lee / Imagn TNT Sports analyst and former NBA player Grant Hill will join NBC Sports' NBA coverage as a game analyst for the 2025-26 season. 'I'm incredibly excited to join NBC Sports as part of their NBA coverage. The NBA has been such a meaningful part of my life, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue sharing the game I love with fans across the country,' Hill said in a release. 'To be part of NBC's return to the NBA — a network with such a rich basketball legacy — and its debut on Peacock is truly an honor. I can't wait to get started this fall.' Hill will continue his role at TNT Sports as a college basketball analyst for the men's NCAA Tournament as well as TNT's Big East and Big 12 basketball coverage. GO FURTHER Grant Hill joining NBC's NBA coverage as analyst for 2025-26 season Matthew Stockman / Getty Images The value of these finals, of the success of the Pacers and Thunder, is depth. This might seem axiomatic: having a lot of good players is important. Duh. But it's never that simple. A salary cap league, especially one with the newish apron constraints imposed in 2023, demands choices and opportunity costs. The Oklahoma City and Indiana front offices understand this — the Thunder had five players who averaged 13 or more minutes per game this postseason while taking up less than 10 percent of the cap; the Pacers had six. 'Depth, in general, is really important,' Thunder GM Sam Presti said at preseason press conference. 'I think depth relative to the parity in the league that we see now is directly linked, because the teams are so deep.' Depth is probably more valuable than ever. It's harder to put a roster together with more than two max players, so the strength of a team can no longer tilt heavily in favor of top-heavy talent. That means organizations not only have to hit on picks in the draft — i.e. Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams — but they also need to establish a player development program that can make contributors out of second-round picks, undrafted players and waiver wire finds like Lu Dort, Kendrich Williams, Isaiah Joe and Aaron Wiggins. Developing these kinds of players will become increasingly important for the Thunder if and when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams sign expensive contract extensions. But it's also important because teams need depth to hang in the NBA now because of the move to a faster pace and to withstand the increased physicality that has come out of looser refereeing. Depth keyed the Pacers' finals run, as they used a deep rotation to funnel in players who can run fast, play hard and beat up the opposing team. Indiana has accomplished their own mix of strong drafting and player development, from finding a key player in the second round (Andrew Nembhard) to optimizing 'second draft' acquisitions (Obi Toppin and Aaron Nesmith). Here are several other lessons teams should learn from these two NBA Finalists. GO FURTHER Pacers and Thunder provided an NBA Finals blueprint. Can other contenders copy it? Matthew Stockman / Getty Images Imagine being one of the other 14 teams in the West. How on Earth are you supposed to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder? Reminder: The Thunder won the conference by 16 games in 2024-25 and still may not have come into the best version of themselves. The entire logic of team-building in the West for the last half-decade has been that 'it's wide open.' Get yourself to a win total in the low-to-mid 50s, and then anything can happen in the playoffs. Veteran teams with title experience, like the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, could talk themselves into being contenders with a middling playoff seed as long as there wasn't a scary, dominant team in the conference that required a higher level. That's been the case the last few seasons, as the previous three Western Conference finalists before the Thunder won 53, 53 and 50 regular-season games, respectively. Now, that entire logic is flipped upside down; it's definitely not wide open, unless your desired endgame is losing in five in the conference finals. For those who aspire for more, it's either get to the Thunder's level or go home. What does a higher bar do to change the logic in an already cutthroat conference? Read the rest of my story here. GO FURTHER With Thunder on top, NBA's 'wide-open' Western Conference is a thing of the past Eric Hartline / Imagn The Trail Blazers briefly acquired Jrue Holiday in the 2023 trade that sent Damian Lillard to Milwaukee, but redirected Holiday to the Celtics less than a week later. During the brief period Holiday was technically on the Portland roster, he and Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups connected over what Billups has called 'a great conversation.' Billups, who was traded by the Pistons four years after helping them win the 2004 championship, helped Holiday deal with getting blindsided by the Bucks' decision to trade him. During that chat, Holiday also expressed that he would prefer to be moved to a contender. Billups wanted to help the veteran reach 'a great position and a great spot' for him. 'It meant a lot,' Holiday told The Athletic in 2024. 'Being able to see a coach that has my best interests (in mind). And you could see it and you could hear it, which a lot of times maybe some players don't get a chance to see that from a coach. So he definitely had my best interest (at heart) from the beginning. And he just always looked out for me.' This time, the Blazers appear to intend to keep Holiday, and he could help them with his defense and leadership. Dealing away Anfernee Simons also appears to clear the path for Scoot Henderson, the third pick in 2023, who only started 10 games in his second season. Simons started all 70 games he played. Read more on what this trade means for the Blazers and Celtics here. GO FURTHER Celtics trade Jrue Holiday to Blazers for Anfernee Simons, second-round picks: Sources
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Pelicans-Wizards trade grades: CJ McCollum-for-Jordan Poole swap is kind of a head-scratcher for one side
NBA trade season is officially underway. Less than a day after Boston sent Jrue Holiday to Portland for Anfernee Simons — which followed Sunday's Kevin Durant trade — the Washington Wizards and New Orleans Pelicans swapped guards. Advertisement CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk are headed to Washington, along with a future second-round selection, in return for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the 40th overall pick in Wednesday's NBA Draft. This is a bit of thinker, so let's get right into it, starting with the Pelicans. Pelicans grade: C (but potential for higher) The organization shaved off roughly $6 million in this trade, providing them with needed flexibility under the first apron, to the point where they should be able to use the entire non-tax mid-level exception (projected to be worth $14.1 million). What's interesting is the Pelicans took on long-term money, as McCollum and Olynyk are both entering the last year of their deals. Advertisement This is — presumably — done to give themselves more opportunities with Poole, who just turned 26. Although still an excellent shooter, McCollum will turn 34 before the start of next season. In short, the younger Poole could conceivably build up higher trade value in New Orleans, which the organization could utilize later. Poole (20.5 points, 4.5 assists) is coming off a bounce-back year after a disappointing debut season in Washington. His efficiency shot up to 59.1% true shooting, and he leaned into his 3-point shot, attempting 622 of them in just 68 games. Of course, the Pelicans would have to bank on Poole improving further, or at least remain on his current course, for him to have significant trade value down the line. So, to recap this oddity: The Pelicans save immediate money, which allows them flexibility this summer, but take on future money in the hope of turning that into something good down the line. Advertisement Was this the best use of over $44 million in expiring money? That's highly debatable. Wizards grade: A For Washington, the path toward their logic is far easier. This team has acquired several older players of late, such as Khris Middleton, Marcus Smart and now McCollum. They are great culture-setters and tremendous locker-room presences. Their contracts also all align, as they expire at the conclusion of next season. Essentially, the Wizards are creating a highly professional environment for their young core to thrive in, and all they had to give up were players they weren't married to long term anyway. Advertisement The Wizards will enter the 2026 offseason with money to burn and can choose whether to spend that on players to accelerate their timeline, or rent out their cap space for draft-pick compensation. Washington's flexibility is now among the league's best, which is another strong indicator their rebuild is going quite well.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
CJ McCollum has seen all the Wizards-tariff negotiation jokes
C.J. McCollum is headed to Washington D.C. and preparing to take the blame for whatever goes wrong. No, he's not pulling a Tommy Tuberville and jumping into national politics. The 33-year-old guard was traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday afternoon in a deal that saw Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft go back to NOLA. Advertisement NBA TRADE GRADES: Who won the Wizards-Pelicans swap? As the news sunk in, McCollum took a whirl around the internet to catch up on the reaction. Even he had to laugh at at some of the comments out there. OK, this is such a perfectly wonky joke that might need a little explaining to those who don't follow the minutia of NBA governance. McCollum has taken a lot of the heat for the way NBA teams have been spending in free agency after the last collective bargaining agreement was ratified. It was the first CBA negotiated by McCollum as the President of the NBA Players Association. SECOND APRON: Why NBA teams are spooked by the current CBA Advertisement If your team didn't trade for that All-Star or give a free agent an enticing contract, McCollum's negotiating tact has become a useful scapegoat. So now that he's in Washington — where President Donald Trump is adding and removing tariffs on a near-weekly basis — McCollum is fully ready to hear fans blame him for this, too. On the other hand, he just might be the negotiator this country needs to actually lower prices again. This article originally appeared on For The Win: Newest Wizard CJ McCollum has seen all the tariff jokes
Reuters
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Reuters
Report: Pelicans send CJ McCollum to Washington for Jordan Poole in 4-player deal
June 24 - Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey are headed from the Washington Wizards to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for CJ McCollum and Kelly Olynyk in a deal that also includes an exchange of draft picks, ESPN reported Tuesday. In a deal that gives Washington a veteran in 33-year-old McCollum and more room in projected cap space, the Wizards will reportedly also get a future second-round pick. McCollum, who is entering the second and final year of a contract extension worth $64 million, averaged 21.1 points, 4.1 assists and 3.8 rebounds in 56 games last season for the Pelicans. Olynyk, 34, was only with the Pelicans since a Feb. 6 trade from the Toronto Raptors. In 12 seasons, he is averaging 10.2 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 800 games (285 starts) with the Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, Utah Jazz, Toronto and New Orleans. The Pelicans, on the other hand, get younger with the addition of 26-year-old Poole, whose 20.5 points per game was tops for the Wizards last season. He averaged 4.5 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 68 starts in his second season in Washington after spending the first four years of his career with the Golden State Warriors. Bey signed a three-year deal with Washington last July but never played a game for the Wizards, missing the entire season while recovering from a torn left ACL sustained while he was with the Atlanta Hawks in March 2024. The 26-year-old has career marks of 14.1 points and 5.2 boards in 292 games (223 starts) with the Detroit Pistons (2020-23) and Hawks. --Field Level Media
National Post
10 hours ago
- Business
- National Post
Pelicans trading CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk to Wizards for Jordan Poole and Saddiq Bey
The New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to trade veteran guard CJ McCollum, Canadian centre Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Poole, wing Saddiq Bey and the 40th overall pick in Thursday's second round of the NBA Draft, a person with knowledge of the agreement said. Article content The person spoke to The Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity because the trade has not been announced. Article content Article content Article content McCollum, a 12-year veteran who has averaged 19.6 points per game throughout his career, now joins his third team since 2022 after spending the bulk of his career with Portland. Article content Poole, a six-year veteran who has averaged 16.8 points per game, also joins his third franchise after spending his first four seasons with Golden State and the past two with the Wizards. Article content The Wizards — who are clearly maximizing the youth movement now — will gain a ton of financial freedom in the deal, which they can use going forward to continue their rebuild. They easily could have around $100 million in cap space for the summer of 2026, largely by clearing $57 million in expiring contracts for McCollum and Olynyk this coming season. Article content It's likely that Washington will look for guards with their two first-round picks Wednesday — No. 6 and No. 18 — and continue adding to the youth movement that started with the Bradley Beal trade. Article content The Pelicans are entering a new era under the direction of Joe Dumars — a former NBA champion as a player and general manager with Detroit — who was hired in April to replace David Griffin as executive vice president of basketball operations. Article content Last week, Dumars acquired a second first-round draft choice — 23rd overall — to go with the club's seventh overall pick in a trade that send a 2026 first-rounder to Indiana. Article content Olynyk, a Canadian, spent less than a season in New Orleans after being dealt by Toronto as part of a deal that sent high-scoring wing Brandon Ingram to the Raptors. The 12-year veteran has averaged 10.2 points and 5.2 rebounds during his career. Article content Bey, a 19th overall pick out of Villanova in 2020, has averaged 14.1 points per game with Detroit and Atlanta. He spent last season with Washington but did not play while recovering from reconstructive knee surgery. Article content In the short term, the deal could also make the Wizards more competitive. They were next-to-last in 3-point shooting last season; McCollum and Olynyk should be improvements there. McCollum is a locker room leader, a union president and still a very productive player — one of three players averaging at least 20 points in each of the last 10 seasons. The others are LeBron James and DeMar DeRozan.
