Jordan Poole averaged 20.6 points and 4.5 assists last season for Washington. (Simon Bruty/For The Washington Post)
The Bradley Beal trade tree grew new branches Tuesday as the Washington Wizards dealt guard Jordan Poole, forward Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in this week’s draft to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for guard CJ McCollum, big man Kelly Olynyk and a 2027 second round pick, according to a person with knowledge of the trade.
The deal, which was first reported by ESPN and can be made official July 6, was primarily done by the Wizards with financial flexibility in mind, according to the person. Poole and Bey, both 26 years old, were each signed through 2027 — Poole for roughly $32.5 million per year and Bey for roughly $6.2 million per year.
Meanwhile, McCollum, 33 and Olynyk, 34, are on expiring contracts that will give the Wizards ample cap space after the 2025-26 season. Veteran forward Khris Middleton (who exercised his $33 million player option for the 2025-26 season) and guard Marcus Smart are also on expiring deals, adding to Washington’s future cap room.
Washington will likely not use that financial freedom to make aggressive moves in free agency but rather take on other team’s bad contracts, the person said. They could receive draft assets or young players as a sweetener to do so.
The second round pick the Wizards acquired is from the Chicago Bulls, according to the person. The Wizards previously owned the pick if it landed between No. 31 and No. 50; Washington now owns it outright. The Pelicans owned it from No. 51 to No. 60 and traded those rights to the Wizards.
Poole was acquired from the Golden State Warriors in June 2023, days after the Wizards moved Beal to the Phoenix Suns. Chris Paul, who was part of the return for Beal, was sent to Golden State in the trade for Poole and picks.
The person with knowledge of this most recent trade described it as next phase of the Beal trade. Beal is owed $53 million next season and $57 million in 2026-27 (on a player option he will almost certainly pick up) and had a no-trade clause.
That contract — considered to be among the worst in the league — made it difficult for the Wizards to trade him for their ideal package of expiring contracts and draft assets. Instead, Washington took a more segmented approach, using multiple trades to accelerate its pathway to cap space.