Kelly Olynyk’s stint with the New Orleans Pelicans appears to be over after just three months and 20 games.
The former Gonzaga forward is set to join his eighth NBA team after being traded to the Washington Wizards on Tuesday as part of a four-player deal.
Olynyk, Pelicans teammate CJ McCollum and a future second-round pick were traded to the Wizards, who are sending guard Jordan Poole, forward Saddiq Bey and the 40th pick in this week’s NBA Draft to New Orleans, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
The transaction, barring any other offseason moves, gives Olynyk an opportunity to team up with fellow Zag Corey Kispert, who just completed his fourth NBA season with the franchise that drafted him in 2021.
Olynyk, the longest-tenured former Gonzaga player in the NBA, is preparing for his 14th professional season after being drafted by the Boston Celtics in 2013 and also spending time with the Miami Heat (2017-21), Houston Rockets (2020-21), Detroit Pistons (2021-22), Utah Jazz (2022-24), Toronto Raptors (2023-25) and Pelicans (2024-25).
The Canadian forward was traded from his hometown Raptors to the Pelicans in early February, starting and appearing in 20 games for a New Orleans team that failed to make the postseason.
As things stand, Olynyk, at 34 years of age, will be the oldest player on one of the NBA’s youngest teams. The Wizards’ roster features 12 players under the age of 30 and 10 between the ages of 19 and 23.
The veteran forward has appeared in exactly 800 career games, starting in 285 of those while averaging 10.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists in his career. Olynyk hasn’t been the postseason since 2019-20, when he was a top bench contributor for a Miami team that advanced to the NBA Finals in the Orlando-based bubble.
Olynyk is likely primed for a reserve role with the Wizards, who selected a power forward, Alex Sarr, with the second overall pick of last year’s draft. The 7-foot Sarr averaged 13.0 ppg and 6.5 rpg while finishing fourth overall in NBA Rookie of the Year voting.
The only other power forwards on Washington’s roster are Tristan Vukcevic, who averaged 9.4 minutes in 25 games for the team last season, and Anthony Gill, who made 51 appearances averaging 2.5 minutes.
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