After the Utah Jazz re-signed forward Lauri Markkanen to a five-year, $238 million deal, the future of Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram is the only major question remaining this offseason.
Ingram’s desire for a $200 million contract and New Orleans’ reluctance to give it to him has been a subplot of the entire offseason. The Pelicans have a problem: Ingram is a good player, but they can’t afford to give him that contract with a contract extension for Trey Murphy III on the horizon. Unfortunately, there aren’t many teams currently willing to give Ingram the contract extension he wants.
Given the current market, the Pelicans’ best bet would be to send him to a team that has enough cap space to absorb his $36 million salary and that has a tradeable center who can fill the major center need in New Orleans. With those criteria, the Toronto Raptors stand out as a possible destination for Ingram.
The Raptors are currently projected to be a notch below the top seven in the East. In no particular order, the Celtics, Knicks, 76ers, Cavaliers, Magic, Pacers and Heat all finished as 40+ win teams, while the Raptors didn’t finish above 30 wins. They are competing with the Hawks and Hornets (health permitting) for the play-in tournament. I think the Raptors could be the seventh or eighth seed in the East this year, but anything other than a first-round exit would be unlikely at this point.
Signing Ingram could change that. Being stuck in the middle of the NBA is a risky gamble and the Raptors have Immanuel Quickley, RJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes under long-term contracts. If that’s the core they’ve chosen for the foreseeable future, they’ll need to build more supporting talent around it to give it a chance to succeed.
Still, the Raptors don’t have enough salary cap space to make this deal just for picks. They need to pay out salaries and a third team should be involved to accommodate the deal under the Pelicans’ and Raptors’ terms. That’s where the Hawks could come in. Atlanta has a severe lack of talent in the two-way rankings and this could be an opportunity to add some. They haven’t done enough to improve their bottom-five defensive rating in the 2023-24 season.
What would a three-way swap between these teams look like?
It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves are possible, and not what I think the Hawks should or will do. That’s all.
Here is the trade.
Hawks get: Bruce Brown
Pelicans get: Jakob Poetl, Chris Boucher, 2027 first-round pick (top-10 protected, via Toronto)
Raptors get: Brandon Ingram, DeAndre Hunter, Cody Zeller
Why the Hawks would make this deal: Bruce Brown isn’t quite the same player he was when he was with the Nuggets, but he would still be a key part of Atlanta’s roster. At 6’4″ with a 6’10” wingspan, he didn’t rate as a particularly good defender last year (-1.4 Defensive Box Plus-Minus). However, he’s still a good cutter who makes quick decisions with the ball and can finish at the basket. If he has a comeback year, Atlanta can either keep him and extend him or trade him for a first-round pick at the trade deadline. The Hawks also create long-term salary space by trading DeAndre Hunter to Toronto, which will give them more breathing room in free agency in the summer of 2025.
Why the Hawks wouldn’t make this deal: Brown had a poor season last year, faltering in virtually every offensive category. For example, Denver’s version of Brown was a 36% three-point shooter on three attempts per game. Last year, he finished 2023-24 at 32.3% on two attempts per game. That could be in part because he was traded to a struggling Raptors team near the end, but it’s hard not to be a little concerned. At $23 million, he would have the second-highest salary on the team behind Trae Young. If the Hawks get Toronto’s version of Brown, it would be a poor investment.
Why the Pelicans would make this deal: Jakob Poetl is one of the most reliable starting center options in the NBA. He’s an excellent blocker, has finished at a career-best 65.3%, and protects the basket well. While I wouldn’t say he’s elite at anything, he can be a good starting center on a team with defensive units around him. Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Dejounte Murray provide a solid defensive infrastructure to support him, while Zion has developed into a solid defender in his own right. Chris Boucher adds even more depth at center and power forward to mitigate injuries to Zion or Poetl, who missed 32 games last season. Boucher is a versatile defender who can block shots and occasionally make threes in more spaced-out lineups around Zion. Having him and Poetl gives them the flexibility to reduce rookie Yves Missi’s role in their quest for a playoff spot.
Why the Pelicans wouldn’t make this deal: Injury issues aside, Poetl is also not a dynamic option at center. There’s a chance Poetl gives them exactly what they got from Jonas Valanciunas, which would be a pretty mediocre result. He reduces the spacing of their starting lineup and doesn’t stand out as a scorer. He’s due a salary of $19.5 million for the next three seasons, so the Pelicans are essentially keeping him as their starting center for the next two seasons.
Why the Raptors would make this deal: Although they trade Ingram in this deal, I don’t think Toronto would necessarily be obligated to pay Ingram. They already have big contracts with Quickley, Barrett and Barnes – signing a fourth would be extremely difficult to fit under the salary cap. However, they can benefit from Ingram’s contributions for a season before he leaves at the trade deadline or as a free agent for a bigger deal. The reason they would do that is because Ingram fits their roster. Outside of Quickley and Barnes, they lack passing – Ingram fits perfectly as a third playmaker, recording 5.7 assists on 2.5 turnovers. He has shown the ability to execute complex jump passes and find corner shooters with ease. When Ingram is paired with a primary playmaker like Quickley, his shooting numbers from his time with Jrue Holiday (39.1% on 6.2 attempts per game) show he can be an efficient winger who spreads all over the court. The Raptors also signed DeAndre Hunter as their possible small forward of the future, which insures them against Ingram’s departure. This season, they can play Hunter as a sixth man and keep him healthy so he can continue to be a solid – if unspectacular – 3&D wing. Cody Zeller provides more depth at center to mitigate injuries to Kelly Olynyk. A starting lineup with Quickley at point guard, Barrett at shooting guard, Ingram at small forward, Barnes at power forward and Olynyk at center would give them plenty of offensive power while also providing plenty of combination options. They could play Barnes as a small-ball five or bring Hunter and Gradey Dick off the bench to add even more scoring. Toronto doesn’t have many forwards outside of Barnes and Barrett – this trade would fix that problem.
Why the Raptors wouldn’t make this deal: With Quickley, Barnes, and Barrett, the Raptors already struggle to give each player the shots they need to be effective. Signing Ingram could make things even more difficult. He’s a player who needs to run a lot of the offense – Toronto could struggle to give him that opportunity. They would also give up a 2027 first-round pick in this deal. While the likelihood of that pick going to New Orleans is very slim, Toronto is still taking a risk here. DeAndre Hunter’s long-term contract also limits their flexibility, and Hunter himself has struggled to stay healthy.
Who says no? I think Toronto and Atlanta probably do. The prospect of taking on Bruce Brown’s salary and having minimal impact on the court is very real for Atlanta – I believe that could prevent them from going that route. The Hawks aren’t really reducing their center rotation either, as all three centers would still make double-digit salaries. For Toronto, the most realistic scenario is to get Ingram and then lose him for nothing to get Hunter’s salary on the books in 2025. It doesn’t look like the Raptors will get the value their first-round pick could provide.
