New Blockbuster Trade Proposal Sends Dejounte Murray +Bogdan Bogdanovic to New Orleans, Atlanta Gets Brandon Ingram

Could the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks be trade partners this offseason?

Feb 7, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram (14) drives to the basket against Atlanta Hawks center Clint Capela (15) during the second half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA Finals begin tonight, but the other 28 teams in the NBA are trying to figure out how to catch up to the Celtics and the Mavericks. The NBA season usually sees change, but this summer could be a wild one. Two teams that could be right in the middle of that are the New Orleans Pelicans and Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks lost in the play-in tournament, but got a boost for their offseason hopes by winning the NBA Draft Lottery and getting the No. 1 pick. New Orleans was swept in the first round at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder and are looking to shake up their roster this offseason.

Both teams are looking to reshape their rosters and they have pieces that the other needs. New Orleans needs a point guard to run the offense and pair with Zion Williamson, while Atlanta needs wing players to give them more size. The Hawks are likely going to be breaking up the backcourt of Trae Young and Dejounte Murray while New Orleans could be moving Brandon Ingram and maybe others. In a recent trade proposal from Bleacher Report's Dan Favale, the Hawks and the Pelicans strike a deal to send Ingram+ other assets to Atlanta for Dejounte Murray and Bogdan Bogdanovic:

Atlanta Hawks Receive: Dyson Daniels, Brandon Ingram, No. 21 pick, 2025 first-round pick (most favorable from New Orleans or Los Angeles, with top-five protection)

New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Bogdan Bogdanović, Dejounte Murray

"At least one of Murray and Trae Young will be shipped out this offseason—or so it seems. The smarter money is on the former. Young has more of a superstar peak, and Murray's lower salary makes it easier to cobble together a wider variety of packages.

Restocking and reorienting the wing rotation should register as Atlanta's primary objective in any deal—unless, of course, it's warming up to a full-tilt rebuild instead. This framework offers a bit of both worlds.

Ingram is headed toward his next payday, at the start of 2025-26, which complicates matters. But the Hawks clear two longer-term salaries here, and Clint Capela comes off the books after next season. Fitting Ingram and a more expensive Jalen Johnson into the team's salary structure, alongside Young, should not prove untenable.

Though Ingram is an overall defensive downgrade from Murray, he has more range on his head-to-head assignments. His playmaking doesn't completely supplant Murray's game management, but he can defer enough going downhill and off ball screens to be a secondary option. His self-creation should go a long way in non-Young minutes and will be welcomed with Murray out the door.

Daniels has two years left on his rookie-scale contract and infuses even more defensive skill and malleability into the rotation. Shooting continues to be his swing skill, but he's displayed stellar, connective vision in space.

Adding two first-round picks allows Atlanta to fill out its big-picture rotation on the cheap. That 2025 selection is particularly useful. The Hawks' own first is headed to San Antonio.

Coughing up Bogdanović might be the toughest part of this for them to stomach. They'll miss his outside touch and the pressure he puts on defenses off the dribble. But this deal is more about balancing out the depth chart over the longer haul.

New Orleans might flinch at including so much first-round equity. It can easily argue that Ingram is the most valuable player in this deal. But his looming free agency warps his value, and too many offensive question marks persist around Daniels for him to be considered a blue-chip prospect.

Bringing in a floor general who can play both beside and independent of Zion Williamson is a big deal. And speaking of deals: Murray's four-year, $114 million extension is beyond team-friendly and absurdly valuable to a team that will soon need to shell out marquee money for Trey Murphy.

Bogdanović's fit is unimpeachable. He promises much-needed outside volume off the pine. This trade also increases the Pelicans' wiggle room beneath the first tax apron—a not-insignificant side benefit if they're looking to keep Jonas Valančiūnas or use the mid-level exception to sign (or trade for) a different center."

This would be an interesting trade and both teams would get the pieces they need. New Orleans gets a point guard to run the offense as well as Bogdanovic, who should have won 6th man of the year this season, to come off the bench. Atlanta gets a big play-making wing to fit with Trae Young, as well as getting a young, defensive-minded guard in Daniels. Because Atlanta lacks draft capital from the Murray trade a few years ago, getting a pair of picks would be a nice addition.

Would this be the most ideal trade for the Hawks? I like Ingram's fit on Atlanta, but it is not perfect. Who would the Hawks be taking with the No. 1 pick and how would that player fit in on this new roster?

At 6'8 190 LBS, Ingram checks off the size that the Hawks need and he checks off the playmaking box as well. Whether he has the ball in his hands or not, Ingram can either get his own shot or he can set others up. He has averaged close to six assists per game for the past three seasons and has been a good shot-creator for the Pelican's offense. He had a tough offensive series vs the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs this season, but being with either Young would open up a lot for him.

He is not a perfect fit though on Atlanta, especially from a defensive perspective. If he were to be paired with Young, he would add to the defensive concerns of the team, but they could be overcome because while he is not a great defender, he is not one of the worst in the league and he has size at least. The other thing would be his three-point shooting, as it has fluctuated a bit over the years. He shot 35.5% from three this year, down from 39% last year. The year before that, he shot 32%. There is inconsistency with his three-point shooting.

Ingram is also going into the last year of his contract and will need a new one after next season. Obviously, if the Hawks trade for him, they will be giving him a new contract, but it would also tie him and whoever the point guard is on the team together. Also consider that Jalen Johnson is going to be extension-eligible this offseason, meaning Atlanta could have a lot of money tied up in either Young/Murray, Ingram, the No. 1 pick (unless it is traded), and Johnson. This would be the core of the Hawks if they made this trade and they would need to hope that it could bring them more success than they have had recently in the postseason.

Ingram would bring a lot of upside to the Hawks and it does seem like New Orleans might be willing to move him.  Let's see what happens this summer.