Jordan Poole is no longer a Wizard.
A trade to send Washington’s scoring leader from last season to the New Orleans Pelicans was finalized Sunday, though it was initially reported on June 24.
The three-team deal allowed the Wizards to add 20-year-old forward Cam Whitmore from the Rockets.
The Wizards gave up two second-round draft picks, Poole, Saddiq Bey and the draft rights to second-round selection Micah Peavy. Washington added Whitmore, C.J. McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a 2027 second-round pick in the exchange.
Whitmore, who turns 21 years old Tuesday, was added to the deal over the weekend. The Maryland native averaged 10.8 points per game across two seasons with the Rockets.
The Archbishop Spalding alum was a first-round pick in 2023 but found himself crowded out of a roster spot after Houston finalized a trade for 15-time All-Star Kevin Durant.
Flipping Poole for McCollum, 33, frees up cap flexibility in the future for Washington. McCollum’s contract expires next summer, and the Wizards could have up to $100 million in cap space next offseason, depending on where the NBA sets the salary cap.
Bey and Olynyk present a similar dynamic. Bey, 26, is younger and presents more potential than the 34-year-old Olynyk.
But Olynyk’s contract expires after the upcoming season, while Bey is signed through the 2026-27 campaign.
With the trade, the Wizards pushed any playoff hopes down the road by another year.
The Pelicans, who finished 14th in the Western Conference with a 21-61 record, could look to make a run at the postseason sooner.