The New Orleans Pelicans agreed to trade veteran guard CJ McCollum, center Kelly Olynyk and a future second-round pick to the Washington Wizards for guard Jordan Poole, wing Saddiq Bey and the 40th overall pick in Thursday’s second round of the NBA draft, multiple sources reported.

McCollum, a 12-year veteran who has averaged 19.6 points per game throughout his career, joins his third team since 2022 after spending the bulk of his career with Portland.

Poole, a six-year veteran who has averaged 16.8 points per game, also joins his third franchise after spending his first four seasons with Golden State and the past two with the Wizards.

The Wizards — who are clearly maximizing the youth movement now — will gain a ton of financial freedom in the deal, which they can use going forward to continue their rebuild. They easily could have around $100 million in cap space for the summer of 2026, largely by clearing $57 million in expiring contracts for McCollum and Olynyk this coming season.

It’s likely that Washington will look for guards with their two first-round picks — Nos. 6 and 18 — and continue adding to their youth movement.

Owners approve $1.5B sale of Timberwolves >> Former Walmart executive and e-commerce entrepreneur Marc Lore and retired MLB star Alex Rodriguez are taking controlling ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.

The NBA announced that the league’s Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the sale of the NBA and WNBA franchises from Glen Taylor to Lore and Rodriguez. Approval by 23 of the NBA’s 30 owners was required for the deal to pass.

Approval of the sale follows news in April that the two sides had settled a dispute over the transaction, which was initially agreed upon in 2021. Lore will act as Timberwolves governor, and Rodriguez will be the team’s alternate governor. Rodriguez will serve as governor of the Lynx.

Lore and Rodriguez previously owned a 40% stake in the franchise, per the deal that was struck in April 2021 and placed a $1.5 billion valuation on the franchises. The deal initially called for transfer of controlling ownership to Lore and Rodriguez within two-and-a-half years, a timeframe that would have concluded in October 2023.

In March 2024, Taylor declared that the sale would not go through and that Lore and Rodriguez had failed to meet agreed upon deadlines.

“I don’t need the money, so I think I’ll just keep running it and enjoy it,” Taylor said at the time. “I like my coach. I like my staff. This way everybody gets to keep their jobs, and I’ll be happy.”

Lore and Rodriguez countered with a statement that “we have fulfilled our obligations” and called Taylor’s statement “an unfortunate case of seller’s remorse.”

At the time, the Timberwolves were in the midst of a 56-26 season sparked by rising star Anthony Edwards that resulted in a trip to the Western Conference finals. Later in 2024, Forbes estimated the Timberwolves to be valued at $3.1 billion, more than twice the agreed-upon valuation from 2021.

OKC fans celebrate NBA title with parade >> Jalen Ross couldn’t stop smiling after attending the Oklahoma City Thunder’s championship parade.

Ross, 19, was among thousands of Oklahoma City’s unwavering fans who finally got to celebrate an NBA championship after their team suffered through several close calls and heartbreaking moments the past two decades.

The Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Indiana Pacers on Sunday to clinch the title. On Tuesday, Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and their teammates joyfully greeted their adoring fans, who lined the downtown streets despite 90-degree heat.

The parade route ended at Scissortail Park, where Mayor David Holt declared a city holiday for Clay Bennett, the head of the Thunder’s ownership group, then added days for general manager Sam Presti, coach Mark Daigneault and every player on the roster. The fans cheered loudly for each announcement.

The Seattle SuperSonics relocated to Oklahoma City in time for the 2008-09 season, and fans feverishly supported the team, despite its early struggles. The Thunder became contenders with young stars Durant, Westbrook and James Harden.

Game 7 draws highest finals viewership in 6 years >> The NBA generated more than 5 billion views across social media platforms during this season’s NBA Finals, up 215% from last season’s title series.

That figure follows a 10% leap in overall viewership for ESPN and ABC during the 34 games they carried in this year’s playoffs as opposed to their numbers from a year ago.

Also, Oklahoma City’s 103-91 victory over Indiana in Game 7 was the most-watched NBA Finals game in six years.