The Trae Young era in Atlanta has come to an end, as the Hawks send Young to the Washington Wizards in exchange for Corey Kispert and CJ McCollum. This trade took place on Wednesday night during the fourth quarter of the New Orleans Pelicans’ ninth straight 117-100 loss to the Hawks. This trade not only paints a clear picture of what the future holds for Zion Williamson in New Orleans, but also reunites the Pelicans castaways in Atlanta.
CJ McCollum and Dyson Daniels are reunited in Atlanta after spending a season together in the Big Easy. Both players were moved back-to-back offseasons as part of deals aimed at shaking up New Orleans’ roster and giving the team a fresh look. However, all of these moves have contributed to the misery Pelicans fans have endured in recent years.
Two painful reminders of what could have been
During the 2024 offseason, the Pelicans were in desperate need of a true field general, someone the team could trust as a decision maker and creator for others. That’s why they decided to pursue Dejounte Murray and in return had to give draft capital, some salary filler and an Australian guard named Dyson Daniels, who had developed into a big man at the time of the trade.
The deal was widely seen as a win-win: the Hawks got some assets for their future while taking a flier on a former lottery pick, and the Pelicans got their general. But Daniels immediately flipped the script when the Hawks coaching staff let him go, and he went on to win the Most Improved Player award, finish second in Defensive Player of the Year and make first-team All-Defensive.
Murray, on the other hand, had personal issues that led to him being forced off the field, and when he returned he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury. Now he finds himself without a concrete return date and in trade rumors.
With a front office change taking place as the Pelicans entered the 2025 offseason, Joe Dumars and his staff were eager to make a move. They opted to go after Jordan Poole, who was having a career year with the Wizards. This was another costly mistake as Poole has missed 19 games this season and is shooting 36.3 percent from the floor.
While McCollum is averaging just under 19 points per game on 45.4 percent shooting from the floor and missed one game, Wednesday night, due to the trade. Oh, and he’s also on an expiring contract, unlike Poole, who has one year left on his contract at just over $34 million.
After being traded just one summer apart, Daniels and McCollum will now form a great backcourt in Atlanta, and Pelicans fans will just have to sit back and watch what could have been.
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