Grading a trade pitch that gives the Pelicans a new identity

We're now about a month into the 2024-25 NBA season. That means that the season is well underway, the teams have started to sort themselves into their respective tiers for the year, and narratives have started to be written. For the New Orleans Pelicans, the story is a familiar one: a team brimming with promise and talent has been undercut by injuries. This has been a common occurrence for the Pels dating back to the Anthony Davis era, but this season has really tested the limits of how injured a single team can be.

For the fans who have labored through this atrocious start for New Orleans, there's at least a silver lining on the horizon to give them something to look forward to. At this point in the season, the trade talks have started to heat up. There's hardly a time in the year that NBA followers don't romanticize trades, but this portion of the campaign until the February deadline is when the trade machine is fully in swing.

The Pelicans have a failing roster and a multitude of win-now veteran players. That's a recipe for becoming a trade machine regular. The most hypothetically traded man on the roster right now has to be Brandon Ingram, who's currently in the last year of his deal and will become an unrestricted free agent at season's end unless he signs an extension. Some of the deals he's been put in have certainly been better than others.

Bleacher Report proposed a blockbuster deal sending Brandon Ingram to the Memphis Grizzlies

Practically everyone is expecting Brandon Ingram to be traded this season, lest the Pelicans risk losing him for naught in free agency. It's either they move him before the deadline, let him walk in the summer, or sign him to a massive extension that they've reportedly balked at in the past. With those choices, it's clear why New Orleans should be looking to find a deal for him this season.

Bleacher Report's Dan Favale had an interesting idea that would send Ingram to a Western Conference rival:

This is a solid deal for both teams. The logic is sound on either side. The Memphis Grizzlies are a burgeoning team that seems to have a championship-worthy first option in Ja Morant. They have two borderline All-Stars in Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. who were expected to grow alongside Ja to form a legitimate title threat.

While both Bane and JJJ have had some intriguing flashes, neither of them has presented as a solid number two for a contender yet. They're both over 25 now, so the time may have run out for them to develop into the Robin that the Grizzlies need for Ja.

This deal would allow Memphis to add another go-to scorer without losing either Bane or JJJ. With those two, Ingram, Ja, and rookie center Zach Edey, the Grizzlies would solidify their starting five of the future. Ingram would be the oldest of that group at 27, meaning that their new core would have plenty of time to compete for a title together.

In return for Ingram, Memphis would only lose Marcus Smart, Brandon Clarke, Vince Williams Jr., and a single first-round pick. Smart has been a non-factor in Grind City despite being a perfect fit for their culture in theory. Brandon Clarke was once one of the most promising pieces of their core but has fallen out of the rotation due to injuries, the resulting setbacks, and the Grizzlies' big man depth with JJJ, Edey, Santi Aldama, and Jay Huff.

While neither Smart nor Clarke are expected to be big contributors for the Grizzlies this season, they could significantly turn the tides for the Pelicans. Both of them would be among the best defenders on New Orleans's roster and would be a huge boon on that end of the court in place of Brandon Ingram.

Aside from tough-nosed perimeter defense, Marcus Smart would also bring additional ball-handling, playmaking, and shot creation to a team that's desperately lacking in all of those areas. Brandon Clarke would be a huge acquisition for the Pelicans' center rotation, giving them a second viable five along with Yves Missi. His presence would move Daniel Theis and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the end of the bench where they're much better suited.

Most importantly, neither Smart nor Clarke needs the ball in his hands to have an impact on the game. While they're not better than Ingram individually or cumulatively as scorers, their skillsets would far better serve this Pelicans' roster built around Zion Williamson. New Orleans could easily mitigate the loss of Ingram's offense with more production from CJ McCollum, Dejounte Murray, Jordan Hawkins, etc., but Ingram could never provide the defense, playmaking, and depth that Smart and Clarke would for the Pels.

This deal might not seem like a great return for an All-Star-caliber talent like Brandon Ingram, but it would be a significant step in the right direction. Rather than continue to force a square peg into a round hole by running out multiple redundant on-ball scorers, this trade gives New Orleans supplementary pieces that fit the roster, depth, and more versatility to make further roster moves. It also gives the Pelicans two defensive-minded players that can help them build an identity around Zion, one that would cover for Z's deficits on D while enabling him to be at his best on the attack.

Adding another first-round pick in this upcoming draft gives Vice President David Griffin another tool to improve his roster moving forward. With Smart and Clarke signed through the 2025-26 season, this trade would be a good deal for New Orleans even if they wind up tanking the rest of this season.

Overall grade: B