Pelicans acquire McCollum from Trail Blazers in 7-player swap
The Portland Trail Blazers traded guard CJ McCollum to the New Orleans Pelicans as part of a seven-player deal Tuesday, the teams announced.
New Orleans also received a pair of veterans in forward Larry Nance Jr. and guard Tony Snell. The Pelicans sent the Trail Blazers a haul that includes Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, a protected 2022 first-round pick, the right to swap second-round picks with the Pelicans in 2026, and an additional 2027 second-rounder.
In a related move, the Trail Blazers waived veteran center Cody Zeller.
By breaking up its longtime backcourt pairing of McCollum and franchise star Damian Lillard, Portland intends to overhaul the squad around the latter, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski notes. Rather than rebuild, the franchise will reportedly chase stars to pair with Lillard, potentially using a $21-million trade exception created Tuesday or a possible $60 million in salary-cap space this offseason.
The Pelicans, who missed out on adding Kyle Lowry over the summer, were in the market for a high-level veteran guard like McCollum, according to Wojnarowski.
McCollum is averaging 20.5 points, 4.5 assists, and 4.3 rebounds in 36 games this campaign. The nine-year veteran has spent his entire career with the Trail Blazers since being selected 10th overall in 2013.
The McCollum deal is the Blazers' second significant trade in recent days. Portland sent veterans Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday in exchange for Eric Bledsoe, Justise Winslow, Keon Johnson, and a 2025 second-round pick.