The NBA world never sleeps, and with the 2025 NBA Draft just one day away, teams around the league engaged in a flurry of trades on Tuesday to prepare for the occasion.
One of those deals shook up rosters as the Wizards sent Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey and the No. 40 pick in this year’s draft to the Pelicans for CJ McCollum, Kelly Olynyk and a future second-rounder.
What does the deal mean for each side and how does it affect NBA futures odds on DraftKings Sportsbook?
Jordan Poole trade grades, odds impact
Wizards trade grade
First and foremost, the Wizards are in the midst of a heavy rebuilding phase. As most rebuilders seek to accomplish, they managed to send out Poole’s remaining two years and $60-plus million of his contract for expiring deals. That’s a win in itself, but Washington also added a couple of seasoned veterans in their young locker room. McCollum can help teach the youth winning habits and how to be a pro alongside a handful of other vets, so that’s a small win in its own regard.
Still, clearing that future cap space which takes effect after the upcoming season remains the focus of the deal from their perspective. The Wizards did quite well here even though they lost Poole, but he’s a fairly replaceable talent anyways.
Wizards trade grade: A
Pelicans trade grade
As for the Pelicans, they acquire Poole, a 26-year-old combo guard with plenty of upside after averaging 20.5 points and 4.5 assists on 43.2%/37.8%/88.3% shooting splits. He injects some youth into the roster and ensures New Orleans keeps a scoring guard on their roster for the next two seasons. Bey could enter the rotation off the bench, as could the 40th pick if the front office can hit on that selection.
Sure, Poole never became a star like some thought he would, but his numbers look pretty comparable to McCollum’s from last season. He doesn’t need to be the primary piece of the offense like he was in Washington either, so he may benefit from the gravity of his teammates drawing defensive attention. The Pelicans likely want to get right back into the playoff picture and they didn’t get worse by any means — they just offloaded an aging player for his replacement while adding some money to their cap sheet in 2026-26.
Pelicans trade grade: B
Futures odds impact
As for the impact on NBA futures odds on DraftKings Sportsbook, the Pelicans remain a long-shot bet to win the 2026 NBA Finals at +25000. They’re probably not a great bet to win the whole league but it’s hard to complain about that kind of value if they can accomplish the impossible. As for a more realistic bet, there’s a bit of appeal for them to qualify for the Western Conference Finals at +3500 if Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray and Trey Murphy III can remain healthy.
Of course, the Wizards aren’t considered a playoff team next season as they continue the early years of their rebuild. They’re still listed at +100000 to win the NBA Finals with +20000 odds of even winning their own division.
