8:00pm: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Pelicans and Trail Blazers. Portland waived Cody Zeller to create room on their 15-man roster for the incoming players.
The full deal looks like this:
- Pelicans acquire McCollum, Nance, and Snell.
- Trail Blazers acquire Hart, Satoransky, Alexander-Walker, Louzada, the Pelicans’ protected 2022 first-round pick, the Pelicans’ 2027 second-round pick, and either the Pelicans’ or Blazers’ 2026 second-round pick (whichever is more favorable; New Orleans had previously acquired Portland’s 2026 second-rounder).
“On behalf of the Trail Blazers organization, I want to thank CJ McCollum for the integral role he has played in the success of the franchise over the last nine seasons and for his countless acts of service to the Portland community,” Blazers GM Joe Cronin said in a statement. “CJ has cemented himself in Trail Blazers history with his elite skill level and memorable moments on the court as well as with the work ethic, professionalism and generosity he displays behind the scenes.”
10:10am: The Pelicans and Blazers have reached an agreement, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links), who reports that Larry Nance Jr. and Tony Snell are also headed to New Orleans in the deal, with Didi Louzada going to Portland.
The Blazers will receive a future first-round pick and two future second-rounder, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter). As Woj explains (via Twitter), the Blazers will get New Orleans’ 2022 first-round selection if it lands between No. 5 and No. 14. Otherwise, the Blazers will receive a future first-rounder. That Pelicans pick currently projects to be No. 9.
The inclusion of Nance, who has been out for the last month with a knee injury, will give the Pelicans another versatile two-way contributor in the frontcourt while clearing even more multiyear money off the Blazers’ books. The Pels will presumably acquire Nance and his $10.7MM cap hit using a portion of their $17MM trade exception. Nance is under contract for $9.7MM in 2022/23.
Because the Blazers have a full roster, they’ll have to trade or waive a player to accommodate the three-for-four swap.
9:24am: The Pelicans and Trail Blazers are finalizing a deal that will send CJ McCollum to New Orleans, sources tell Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).
The package for McCollum will include Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and draft compensation, per Charania (Twitter link).
According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who first reported that the two sides were engaged in serious talks, an agreement technically hasn’t been finalized yet and there’s still work to be done, but Woj says there’s optimism a deal will be completed (Twitter link).
McCollum, 30, has been a Blazer since entering the NBA in 2013, making up one-half of the team’s star backcourt alongside Damian Lillard. Portland made the postseason in each of McCollum’s first eight NBA seasons and got as far as the Western Conference Finals in 2019, but the team has taken a step back this year and is clearly in retooling mode, having sent Norman Powell and Robert Covington to the Clippers last Friday.
Trading McCollum will create more future financial flexibility for the Blazers, who are reportedly interested in re-signing free-agents-to-be Anfernee Simons and Jusuf Nurkic this offseason. Based on the team’s moves so far, it appears Portland views those players, along with Lillard and Nassir Little, as keepers going forward, though there’s still time for things to change in the 48+ hours before Thursday’s trade deadline.
While we’ll have to wait to see what sort of draft compensation is headed from New Orleans to Portland in the trade, the Blazers did well to acquire a solid two-way player like Hart, and they’ll get a chance to take a flier on Alexander-Walker, who has struggled in 2021/22 after a promising sophomore performance last season.
The Pelicans, meanwhile, are on the verge of adding a talented shot creator to their backcourt as they continue their push for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. New Orleans currently leads Portland by a half-game for the No. 10 seed in the West.
McCollum has been hampered this season by health issues, including a collapsed lung, and his numbers have dipped a little as a result, but he’s still averaging 20.5 PPG and 4.5 APG on .436/.384/.706 shooting in 36 games (35.2 MPG).
McCollum, Brandon Ingram, and Jonas Valanciunas will be the go-to offensive options in New Orleans for the time being. The Pelicans are also hoping to get Zion Williamson back in their lineup at some point in the second half, though it’s been a while since we’ve gotten an update on Williamson’s recovery from foot surgery.
McCollum is owed $30.9MM this season, $33.3MM in 2022/23, and $35.8MM in ’23/24 before becoming eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2024. Hart’s contract is more team-friendly — after earning $12MM this season, he has a $13MM non-guaranteed salary next season, with a $13MM player option (also non-guaranteed) for ’23/24.
Satoransky has an expiring $10MM contract, while Alexander-Walker is earning $3.3MM this season. Alexander-Walker is under contract for $5MM in 2022/23 and will be eligible this offseason for a rookie scale extension. He’ll be a restricted free agent in 2023 if he doesn’t sign a new deal later this year.
The Hawks, Knicks, and Pacers were among the other teams said to have trade interest in McCollum.
All Hart any contender that comes saves Hart from Portland is getting a MF Dog
I’m really hoping the Raptors step up and do it. They need a shooter for their bench so bad. He would fit great!
Out of all the teams who thought cj be going to NO . This must be one hell of a trade
CJ to New Orleans has been reported for like 2 weeks at this point…
Yeah, once that idea came up it had made a lot of sense. The Pelicans were desperate and stuck in a weird place despite having a lot of talent. Not too surprising.
NOLA was all frontcourt at this point, esp with Herbert Jones working out so well, and none of the guards. CJ could be a real turnaround add for them! Predict so, and it need be, for NOLA to keep their first I think.
(Pel #4-#14 transfers? Article to come)
I don’t understand this move at all for the Pelis. Is this just desperation to be good next year when Zion is hopefully healthy? CJ is not on Zion or Ingram’s timeline, he’s pricey, he’s undersized, and he doesn’t really defend. He’s great, don’t get me wrong. I think he might make them a contender for a Playoff spot next year, but that’s the ceiling. And if he and/or Zion get hurt . . . well, I don’t know if there is a floor.
I think this just shows they expect Zion back
This is the Front Office trying to save their jobs and a bad and negligent owner not doing her job to veto this trade.
He’s the best they can do to try and keep Zion around. And it gives Ingram a much needed scoring partner which will help them as they try and get to the play in. Graham is still the problem in the starting 5.
This deal could make things much worse for the team by the time Zion could actually leave, unless we really think theres a chance he takes the one year QO instead of max money that season so he can leave in after next season instead of 5.
I mean Hart isn’t in their plans, and neither is Sataransky. CJ for those two and a couple picks is nice value. Don’t overvalue Hart because he’s having a decent year (for some reason a vastly overrated year … he’s actually shooting quite poorly). Nothing says CJ has to remain a Pelican forever, either. That’s a nice chunk of salary they could exchange for someone else this off-season (hello, Ben?). Meanwhile they probably get into at least the play-in this year, and if Zion by some miracle comes back at full strength, I don’t want to play that team. Dunno if you’ve seen them lately, but they’re not bad at all.
They needed someone to run the offense right now. Zion might be young but CJ is on the exact same timeline as far as NO is concerned because Zion isn’t hanging around to play for a bad team.
They need to be good enough at the end of this year to add a good piece this summer and they have to be really good next year or it’s over for Zion down there.
This is the kind of deal the Knicks have to make at some point. You don’t get the best players until you’re willing to outbid everyone else. It really is that simple. CJ might not be a superstar but he’s the best option available that doesn’t require a leap of faith.
Yes but the Pels have a LOT more talent than the Knicks. NYK just needs to nail one draft pick. Just one, plus a new coach. And they’re off to the races, because any kind of hope at MSG and free agents will flock there.
The Knicks’ drafting has been atrocious for a long time. Looking at their past 20 or so first round picks it’s just incredible how many whiffs they’ve had.
Worst I’ve ever seen in any sport, this side of the Detroit Lions.
free agents won’t flock to this mis managed franchse while dolan is the owner
and they are quiet a few pieces away, than just one draft pick, unless thepick a superstar like giannis for example
Like RJ ……
Knicks aren’t great at drafting, but they also never pick super high. In the last 36 years, they only had two picks in the top 5, RJ Barrett at 3 and Porzingas at 4. Despite being terrible, they never really get good picks. They’re always picking in that weird 8-20 range.
The problem is they’re about to start losing players before seeing what they can do and building around a coach that isn’t a long term answer.
Hitting on picks won’t help unless they build around thibs or move on from him and I don’t think it helps much if the decision is building around thibs.
We got to see if Zion can ever play again before we say what he wants
Their team has been bad since day one though . Still awful . Instead of building around Zion. They are again not doing anything
all they need is a PG and they could be a darkhorse team with Zion back. Dragic would be nice
Or Brunson
Well that’s all they won’t to make the playoffs. They are really good team didn’t give up much either.
If Zion comes back to the level or near the level he played at towards the end of last season the Pelicans timeline is right now. Zion is a superstar and one of the top 10 players in the league when he’s on the court. Brandon Ingram is entering his prime and is an All NBA level talent. This trade sets up the supporting cast for a 3-4 year window. When you’re a small market team that’s the best you can hope for.
Sorry but it takes tank-loving not to get this trade for NOLA. It is not for next year. They are much more talented now; they had a backcourt that said “tank”; they had fails now gone.
Are Pel-crtics saying their cause is lost, that all they can do is mope over ZW? Why would they buy that? Tanking is not likely to work in a football town, or with ZW.
Blazers are the team that should be worried.
Talk about a botched rebuild. Griffin got a massive haul of picks for Davis and Holliday along with drafting Zion and instead of just rebuilding he tried to rebuild and compete at the same time. Now they wasted signing Reddick who gave them a bad rap and traded firsts for both Valencuinas and McCollum. All of this while giving up Ball for nothing so they could swing and miss signing another in his 30s Lowry.
This team has no plan or direction and now will pay the price for trying to take shortcuts. They are the Knicks of the south.
I think this is a case of Zion and Media expecting teams that tanked to be instantly good.
Drives me crazy when they do. As soon as they brought in Griffin, I was skeptical. But even I didn’t think he’d be THIS terrible.
Could not have said it any better. Why teams that are not serious contenders would want McCollum is hard to figure out.
Pels want to compete to retain Zion by building a PO relevant roster so as a small market trading CJ and Nance for a 1st (top 5 protected in a week draft) and some average/expiring players is a pretty nice move in my opinion…
What are the Blazers FO building around Dame ? … Not a thing, but Dame will get a 100M$ extension proposal this summer to remain HOME.
Maybe Hart, Satoransky, and Hayes, plus a 1st and a 2nd?
Poor Josh Hart! He’s such a good role player who could really help good teams. But the Blazers look okay with Dame, Simons, Hart, Little and Nurkic next season. Still small guards though
Blazers can re-flip his contract to send him to UTAH for Ingles contract
I’m not a big CJ fan and agree with naposey’s take on him but this is a big upgrade for the Pels’ back court. They also have JV playing great. Portland’s decision to tank to keep their draft pick left a play-in spot wide open and the Pels have been motivated and playing well to get it. That said they still need Zion for it to matter.
He’s got to stop eating everything
Predict ZW will not return but it will be a rising playoff year anyway and no doubt ZW wii sign there.
Thats it? Josh Hart and a pick for CJ? I understand there might be some extra players for filler and salary matching. Not enough imo.
Yeah the Pels totally scored on this one. I do wonder if one of the youngsters is also involved, but if it’s just Hart and Sataransky, that’s a bargain.
Hart, NAW and a pick
Will Lillard be next for Simmons? Sounds like Trailblazers are do a complete redo so why not.
Sounds logical but it’ll be the offseason when this one happens. Blazers cleaning house first. They need the pics to attach to Lillard to get a younger Simmons.
Sixers won’t take Nance and mccullom but they will take a first-round pick and a second or whatever it’s going to be.
No. They’re clearly building around Dame and Simons. And they have a real chance to make it work. One lucky draft for a good wing, plus a healthy Dame, and they’re looking pretty solid.
How will they get Simmons without giving up Lillard. I don’t see 76ers making a trade of Simmons for nothing.
He said Simons, not Simmons. Portland is building around Lillard and Simons. They’ve been clearing space in order to give Simons and large extension next year.
If it Simons is he that good to claim he is a piece to build around? So far nothing says future all star. I don’t see him as a piece to build around.
You should look again then
Anfernee simons..not ben simmons
Pretty solid ? With only Anf, Dame, maybe Nurk and two 1st picks, some cap for so-so FA… you are maybe a borderline play-in team next year
With room for growth. Whereas before these moves they were in the position in the standings with an aging team.
The Blazers as previously constructed were only good when Dame played out of his mind. That isn’t a good team. That is Dame being awesome. They need more than that.
Owner likes Lillard. Suggest the one kind of trade she will blackball.
Zion’s looking like the next Greg Oden. Except fatter.
Good on Portland though. I know they’re not gonna compete this year, and CJ was just taking shots away from the youngins they have.
Now trade Dame for Simmons, I imagine that team would fit what Billups is looking to coach.
Throw in Maxey, which you’d hvae to to make it work.
I’m getting the feeling Maxey is untouchable at this point outside a top ten player given how much development he’s showing.
The Sixers wouldn’t add Maxey to get harden, and that was before his breakout season. I highly doubt the Sixers “throw in” Maxey to get Dame. Simmons and a few firsts should get it done. If they want a young guard as a throw in, then it would probably be Milton
Wait a minute…
Does that man the Knicks are getting Lillard or Zion?
I think the Pels should have gone into this deadline trying to trade Zion for a haul. Obviously, when healthy, he’s a freak and top-30 player in the league. But he doesn’t want to play for them, for one, and he’s unhealthy and apparently uninterested in working their program to recover. Why sell their future to appease him? He doesn’t give a crap about NoLa.
I think they could have received about 3 or 4 picks, and 2 or 3 studs (top 60 players) for his services had they shopped him. Add that to an already competitive and fringe playoff roster, and the Pels may have had a deeper run.
Shipping out guys like Hart is going to hurt the team more than losing Zion this year, and I think this McCollum contract and Zion’s behavior and demands will be a pain in their necks until both are gone.
What makes you think what the Pels (and you) can tell about Zion isn’t known by the rest of the league? You don’t get 3-4 picks for him at this stage. But if he recovers and plays well, you might get a haul then.
They don’t get that much until he plays so even if they want to move on they’d probably wait until the offseason.
I’m just thrilled CJ wasn’t coming to NY. IMO I’d try for Brunson but he’s probably untouchable in Dallas. I still don’t think it’s a bad idea to give McBride extended minutes. Ideally would love Randle for Fox rumors if those rumors were true.
I’d have loved to get CJ & Nance. I’d have paid more than the Pels did too unless Portland thinks this trade is going to make NO even worse.
Don’t count on that. No Fox for Randle. Just leading people on.
I wonder, if the new exec was hired in NY bc he knew CJ was about to move… and that is why the sudden interest in NY trading for him. It never seemed likely, given the rebuild fans there.
Lakers steady missing out on these easy trades Westbrook tucker 1st pick for McCollum n Powell would of been better
Portland would have laughed until they cried if they were offered that.
I know I did
Yeah, because a team trying to shed long term commitments to get under the cap and free up space for next year trade for more money and worse players. Trading McCollum and Powell and getting back Westbrook is probably the worst trade suggestion I’ve heard.
Who gets waived to free up roster space?
Injured Zeller (8-10 weeks) seems a certainty to me.
Could they get some cash considerations (or even a pick) or a trade exception for the expiring contracts of Snell, Smith Jr., McLemore or Elleby?
Guess not?
So Hart fills Portland’s newly found open spots on the wing, Louzada gives them a guard that can defend, NAW still has some potential as a scoring 2 guard. They lose Nance, but now they have Winslow…should be interesting to see if Chauncey Billups can figure out how to put together an nba rotation. It’s already cost him 1 of his star guards, and a valuable wing defender
Not sure what New Orleans will do with Nance, having multiple guys at his positions, but now they should have more credible guard play more consistently, and have better spacing
CJ and Nance. Pretty good trade for NO. Especially, if that 1st is one of the Lakers or Bucks.
Dame Time is coming next
link to nypost.com
This is who Berman is. He’s a Knick hater and only lives on the negative. Always arranging the truth to fill his take. Which is always self serving. And usually to make Knicks look. Now personally, I could care less. But folks eat this stuff up at times. This is to show you. How today YOU should be finding the truth yourself and not preach what you read. Cause it could be a writer like Berman. Who cares nothing about the truth.
You seem like you care a whole lot.
Yeah I care about the truth. And he is about dribble for yrs. Kind of like your dribble.
its not only berman saying the knicks wanted mccollum
not sure whats you are tyring to say
Read the article. He’s tied it into Damien and how Knicks have missed on Powell. When none of it is true. Then he calls JC expensive guard. But he’s pushing the narrative to trade Randle for wks.
Moral of the story is to do the research. Search for the truth, facts. Like I just did for you ……..
Truth is out there if you want it.
Good trade for Pels. Portland should of got more. Hawks were dumb not to go for CJ.
So after all this………… “News Flash”
Zion is still FAAaaaaatttt …. Zion is still issue in NO.
Love this trade by the Pels Graham Cj BI Zion JV they can be potentially in the playoffs if/when Zion comes back.
So much for not blowing things up
Seems like all he meant was not trading Dame or the Bosnian Beast.
I really think a great deal for both teams. New Orleans gets a solid player to play alongside Ingram JV and Zion whenever he leaves the kitchen. Especially since New Orleans was likely never gonna be able to lure a third star in free agency. The picks don’t really matter, never know what they can be. They also pick up snell and nance two solid rotation pieces. Meanwhile Trail Blazers get the expiring contracts of Hart (assuming release due to non guaranteed salary), Satoransky, and Louzada who I assume gets released. Giving them ample cap space to try and get another star next to dame next season. Getting out from the McCollum contract will be huge for them. Add in nickel Walker who has been a bust to this point but may turn it around in Portland and it’s a win win for both. And those other guys they acquired can always be flipped for more picks or maybe another player like Walker who needs a change of scenery. Not sure how anyone can trash this deal from a basketball standpoint?
Personally Blazers have done a mistake trading Powell and Rocco before CJ and Nance BC they could have got more draft assets …
Now Blazers have up to 60M$ in cap space next summer (with a 21M$ trade exception for a Pacers C) but no star FA is available + two top 10 1st in a so-so draft + ANF & Nurk to extend (around 35M$) so do the math and tell me what PO roster Cronin will build …
I didn’t agree with the Powell trade either, but I like this trade. It’s been clear McCollum and Lilliard we’re not going to win it all together. So separate the two clear that salary and try to sign or trade for a star that fits better with dame.
Grant and Dame are good friends …
Yes this trade does help POR moneywise… their previous one did not. And Dame&CJ did get their shot.
Snell could start at 2G… total new backcourt
At least POR got a 1st in this one; although they gave a 1st up a few months ago for one of the throw-ins in this deal. Both picks are protected, so they probably end up with two lottery picks in the coming draft. That’s about the only thing of value that POR gets from this deal aside from “cap flexibility”. I always liked Hart, but hard to see this as a great spot for him or his contract having a lot of value.
Markets are what they are, and so maybe this is just shaping up as the most buyer friendly TD market in recent history. Need some more non-POR deals to confirm.
Portland is just selling everything to clean up their books for a franchise sale and relocation. Or they have a really bad GM. Only piece I like of all their moves is Hart.
Kind of interesting they do it now though. To DXC’s point it definitely seems like the play-in has basically killed the market balance of the TDE.
There are basically no sellers anymore. Seems like both Portland and Indiana could have probably got more if they’d just waited until summer?
The NBA regrets losing Seattle and will fix that in the near future I think. Losing Portland won’t happen of course. The lineup for franchise moves is led by Oklahoma City (29th in attendance, New Orleans (28th)Atlanta (27th), and even with an exciting team Memphis continues to draw poorly. Portland is on no one’s list of relocations and frankly it’ll be a surprise if even one of the weak sisters listed above moves.
By the way, has anyone seen a picture of Zion lately? Is he slimmer? Fatter? Does he look the same?
I saw a large cut out on the side of a school building and heard someone yelling oooh yea. Wasn’t sure if it was Zion tho.
That ends the CJ for Ben talk at least.
Dame is not sticking around for a rebuild. He’s gone at end of year. Hope Knicks don’t go nowhere near that.
CJ is the vet that team needs. Unfortunately Zion is still an issue. I hope he finds clarity and Jenny Craig ….
B*tthole Trade Grades, POR/NO
POR
Grade: C+
Summary: A mid-lottery pick isn’t terrible for McCollum, given his salary and age and the fact he’s been a trade chip for half a decade. And Hart can probably be flipped for another 1st, assuming Portland goes full rebuild (which seems … very likely now?).
In addition, losing Powell and McCollum with nothing near equal talent coming back almost ensures that Portland will have a high probability of THEIR pick will be in the top 5. I’d give this a B if they didn’t throw in Nance.
NO
Grade: A-
Summary: A lottery pick is a future asset and New Orleans needs a roster around Zion immediately, so it makes sense to dangle it (top 5 protected) for veteran help. I don’t know if you could get a better player than McCollum.
In addition, you get the potentiality of Nance, who – if/when healthy – could make a lot of sense playing next to Zion. A lineup of CJM, Zion, BI, and Nance seems to me like 4/5ths of a high level closing unit. Of course, Zion needs to get healthy for any of this to matter.
The 22/23 Pelicans look good on paper
But this is the 3rd year in a row they have underwhelmed me and I refuse to get back on that train
Feels like Portland had an agenda and they accomplished it! Congrats right….No….Problem is, they didn’t maximize the fruits of their labor/assets which was really the only task at hand….
But still, minor points for picking a direction then swan diving towards it . It’s easier said than done, and in this instance I think Portland made the right call as difficult as it probably was. At least the new front office can work from a somewhat clean slate and not be stuck in NBA purgatory hell with arms pulling at you from all directions
Pels are just a mess. Zion needs to lose weight and abandon ship.
Oliver Miller won’t stop eating
New starting lineups:
Pelicans:
Devonte’ Graham/Jose Alvarado
CJ McCollum/Trey Murphy III
Brandon Ingram/Garrett Temple
Herb Jones/Naji Marshall
Jonas Valanciunas/Willy Hernangomez
Trail Blazers:
Anfernee Simons/Dennis Smith Jr./Tomas Satoransky
Nickeil Alexander-Walker/Ben McLemore
Josh Hart/Greg Brown III
Justise Winslow/Trendon Watford
Jusuf Nurkic/none
Injuries:
Blazers: Eric Bledsoe, Keon Johnson, Cody Zeller, Nassir Little, Damian Lillard, Didi Louzada
Pelicans: Larry Nance Jr., Zion, Kira Lewis Jr.,
My analysis: New Orleans won this trade IMO. They received one of the best scoring SGs in the league who doesn’t have to worry about defense because they have elite defender Herb Jones as well as above-average defenders BI, Larry Nance Jr, and Zion. Nance is a solid defender who can also play very well on offense. Didi Louzada will most likely be waived because of hi season ending injury to his meniscus, so it doesn’t necessarily matter that he is there. Tony Snell will add shooting to the team as well.
Portland POV: The Blazers didn’t win this trade, but they did pretty darn well. Josh Hart and Nickeil Alexander-Walker are young up -and-coming players with Hart being an above-average defender and Alexander-Walker being a good shooter/scorer. They both can help, but obviously won’t match CJ’s production. Tomas Satoransky will likely be bought out, as he doesn’t bring anything to this young team. As I mentioned above, Didi will probably be waived.But, I think the pick is the most important acquisition by Portland. Though NOLA probably will now at least make the play-in, I don’t see them higher than the 6 seed. This means that the pick could end up at 15,16,17 if NOLA wins play-in and you could get a great player there if you scout well.
No they did awful. Just trade Lillard , the two worst teams make trades and both get worse , or at least Portland does
Lol the Blazers continue to get worse.
It’s over for Dame Time.
Our best player is a older pg. Our second best was a sg. Now they want to build around a old pg and Simons who is a pg really And young . Again the blazers make no sense
Do they understand you don’t need more than 6 pg and five sgs on a roster . Who needs a sf or a pf or even a C . Garbage basketball
link to mobile.twitter.com not official yet.
Why did they waive Zeller and not Louzada??? They both are injured but at least zeller can help an nba team. Louzada is injured, but literally can’t do Anything
A player being acquired in a trade can’t be the same player who is waived to create a roster spot to complete the trade.
They could waive Louzada now that the deal is done, but they needed a roster spot available for him in order to make the trade.
Oh, that makes sense. Thanks, Luke!
Trade dame for simmons and picks.dont wait till going older. I want see dame get the ring. Bigger chance with sixers rather than with blazers
NBA GM’s make some bizarre trades no wonder their shelf life is so short.