The New Orleans Pelicans made one of the most significant moves ahead of the February 10 trade deadline, acquiring CJ McCollum from the Portland Trail Blazers.

How will this trade impact both franchises going forward?

At 22-32 heading into the deadline, the Pelicans sat in 10th place in the Western Conference, despite a season-long injury to Zion Williamson (foot). While the trade may have been shocking to fans who didn’t expect New Orleans to make the big move for McCollum, it shouldn’t have been. Sports Business Classroom’s Eric Pincus (at Bleacher Report) had reported the Pelicans viewed McCollum as “the potentially ideal veteran scorer and leader” to pair with Brandon Ingram and a healthy Williamson.

The price wasn’t cheap. New Orleans gave up Josh Hart, Tomas Satoransky, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Didi Louzada, and three draft picks (including one first) while bringing in Larry Nance Jr. (currently out with a knee injury) and veteran Tony Snell.

But the move should help the Pelicans make a run for the play-in. Rookie Herb Jones has emerged as one of the best wing defenders throughout the season. The defense may still be an issue, one McCollum may not solve, but the team will have more of an explosive scoring punch, along with current point guard Devonte’ Graham.

Should Zion return this year, the Pelicans will be an offensive force. The Pelicans have multiple first-round picks. The selection sent to the Blazers will convey this draft in the 5-14 range; otherwise, it shifts a Milwaukee Bucks first in 2025.

Financially, the Pelicans made a significant investment in McCollum, who is owed over $69 million over the next two seasons. The luxury tax isn’t an issue this year, may not be for 2022-23, but it’s worth noting that McCollum’s final season at $35.8 million coincides with the first year of a potential Williamson extension.

For the Trail Blazers, the trade could best be described in one word: flexibility. 

As reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Blazers are planning to continue to build their roster around their superstar point guard Damian Lillard. Adding Josh Hart to the backcourt alongside Lillard provides the team with more help on defense. 

The Trail Blazers already moved Alexander-Walker and Satoransky on to the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs in a three-team trade that brought in Joe Ingles and Elijah Hughes. The impact may not come immediately on the court but the team’s cap sheet.

Before this trade, the Trail Blazers were in the luxury tax. Now, the Blazers are clear from the luxury tax and created enough cap space to not only keep restricted free agent Anfernee Simons but potentially add a maximum-salaried player to join Lillard next season.

One key lesson learned at Sports Business Classroom is to look at a trade from multiple angles. The Blazers made changes that could hurt in the short term but prove to be quickly lucrative. The Pelicans made a sizable investment in the player they believe will help immediately. Both sides made winning deals from their points of view.