CJ McCollum opened up about the moment he learned he was being traded from the New Orleans Pelicans to the Washington Wizards.
Appearing on The Young Man & The Three podcast, the veteran guard detailed how the call came during a work Zoom meeting with his wife and colleagues from his wine business.
“I got a call and I hadn’t talked to Joe in a long time,” McCollum said, via HoopsHype, referring to Pelicans executive Joe Dumars. “He told me he was trading me to the Wizards. I said, ‘For who?’ He told me. I went back in, I said, ‘We’re going to DC.’”
The trade, finalized on July 6, sent McCollum, Kelly Olynyk, and a future second-round pick to Washington in exchange for Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey, and the No. 40 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.
McCollum recalled his wife’s reaction vividly: “She was like, ‘The Wizards?’ Natalie and Ryan were like, ‘It’s okay if you need to call us back.’ I said, ‘Yeah, I need a minute. I got to call my agent.’”
The former Lehigh standout appreciated that he heard about the move directly from Dumars before the media could report it. “He was like, ‘No, I’m calling you first.’ I was like, ‘Thanks — that’s nice of you to call me 11 minutes before everybody else.’”
McCollum, 33, brings 12 seasons of experience to a Washington roster in transition. In 2024–25, he averaged 21.1 points, 4.1 assists, and 3.8 rebounds while shooting 44.4% from the field and 37.3% from three.
He spent the last three and a half seasons in New Orleans after being dealt from Portland in 2022. His move to the Wizards marks the third team of his NBA career.
Washington, coming off a 18-win campaign, is banking on McCollum’s leadership and scoring to help mentor a young core and stabilize the backcourt rotation.
