New Blockbuster Three-Team Trade Proposal Sends Brandon Ingram to Utah, Clint Capela to New Orleans

Are the Pelicans going to trade Brandon Ingram this offseason?

Jan 23, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) runs into Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (23) during the first quarter at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Offseason has been quiet for the past few weeks, with most of the attention being on Team USA and their pursuit of another gold medal. Most of the major trade pieces have been moved, but there were two names that people around the league were waiting to see if they would get moved. Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen was a name that has been mentioned for much of the past month, but according to Shams Charania at The Athletic "Markkanen and the Utah Jazz are expected to agree to a massive, long-term contract extension, planned to be signed Wednesday or later, making him ineligible to be traded for the entire 2024-25 season." With Markkanen off the board, the last big name player who could be moved is Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram.

At the start of the offseaso, it seemed certain that Ingram was going to be traded away from New Orleans, with the Atlanta Hawks being mentioned as a possible landing spot. Atlanta did make a deal with New Orleans, but Ingram was not involved. The trade market has been quiet for Ingram and it is starting to feel like he might actually start the season in New Orleans, even if it would complicate their roster. The big reason behind no Ingram trade has reportedly been that no team is willing to give him a massive contract after his expires this season.

With Utah taking Markkanen off the board, what are they going to be doing? Markkanen helps them win and they might not be able to tank to the bottom of the league with him. Could they look to add talent and hope they can later parlay their cache of draft picks for a third star?

Here is a trade that could make this happen.

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Walker Kessler

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Clint Capela and Jordan Clarkson

Utah Jazz Receive: Brandon Ingram and Cody Zeller

Why the Hawks do this trade: While Capela is better than Kessler, he is on an expiring contract and getting older. Capela is still an effective player, but he did take a step back last season. By trading him, the Hawks save money and get a talented and young defensive minded center to backup Onyeka Okongwu, who would now be the starter. If Kessler can be a force defensively, it could set the Hawks up long-term at the position and help fix their biggest weakness.

Why the Hawks don't do this trade: Atlanta clearly values Capela and he is better than Kessler right now. The Hawks would be getting worse in the short term and when you don't control your own draft picks, that might not be appealing. Kessler also took a bit of a step back last year after a strong rookie season. If he were to remain just an average player, it might not be worth it, even if Capela is not going to be with the team long-term.

Why the Pelicans do this trade: New Orleans really needs a center and while there have been mock trades of sending Kessler and Jordan Clarkson to New Orleans, I think they would prefer Capela. Kessler is younger, but Capela is more of a sure thing to help right away and they could even give him a short extension until this year's first-round pick Yves Missi is ready to be the franchise center. Kessler is cheaper, but Capela helps the team win more now and has a much higher floor.

Why the Pelicans don't do this trade: This would put the team over the luxury tax slightly and that might be unappealing. They have also never paid the tax. Capela is on an expiring deal and a team like New Orleans might want to have a cheaper and younger player who can help them on defense.

Why the Jazz do this trade: By not trading Markkanen, the Jazz are not going to be amongst the very bottom teams in the NBA like Brooklyn, Washington, Detroit and others. Utah could instead buy low on a talented player like Ingram and pair him with Markkanen. That might not guarantee the Jazz a playoff spot, but they would be in the mix for a play-in tournament spot and still have plenty of draft picks to be able to make a move later to add to this duo. They also have a lot of talented young players like Keyonte George and Cody Williams around them.

Why the Jazz don't do this trade: Ingram is due a new contract and Utah might not want to be paying him and Markkanen huge money. While Ingram is good, he also does not make them a contender and ensures that they are not going to be in position for a high draft pick in a loaded 2025 draft class, unless they get some lottery luck.

I would be surprised if Utah made this move, but with them not trading Markkanen, it has to be considered. It does not seem like Ingram really fits on New Orleans current roster, but it does not seem like there are a lot of teams interested in trading for him. What happens with Ingram is going to be one of the things to watch as the season gets closer and the Hawks could loom as a third team in trades like these.