The New Orleans Pelicans acquired CJ McCollum two days ahead of the 2022 NBA Trade Deadline. They finalized the deal with the Trail Blazers on Tuesday in exchange for shooting guard Josh Hart and draft picks.
Now, McCollum is publicizing his involvement in the trade. According to The Athletic writer Will Guillory, the star shooting guard was interested in playing in New Orleans because of the young talent on the team. He mentioned small forward Brandon Ingram by name.
CJ McCollum says he was involved in the process in his move from Portland. Said the young talent in New Orleans and playing with Brandon Ingram made the Pelicans a situation he was interested in.
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) February 10, 2022
In his fifth year in the league, Ingram is proving his dominance on the court. He leads the Pelicans in points per game with 22.9 and assists with 5.5. He has the fourth most rebounds per game with an average of 5.8.
The other young talent McCollum was likely referring to is point guard Devonte' Graham, and rookie power forward Herbert Jones. Both are young starters making names for themselves early on in their NBA careers.
Meanwhile, McCollum has a lot to bring to the Pelicans, a team that is struggling to keep up with the West. They have a deep losing record of 22-32 and are tenth in the conference. In the 36 games McCollum played for the Trail Blazers this season, he averaged 20.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game.
With the addition of McCollum, the average age of the starting five is 26.4 years old. The youngest is 23-year-old rookie Herbert Jones, and McCollum is the oldest at 30 years old.
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