Grading a trade proposal that gives Brandon Ingram a homecoming

Brandon Ingram's days with the New Orleans Pelicans are numbered. It was always surmised that Ingram could be dealt away by the Pelicans, due to his substandard fit as a co-star for Zion Williamson. Those trade talks really hit up at the end of last season as Ingram would enter the final year of his contract in the 2024-25 NBA campaign.

With that in mind, the Pelicans had three choices: extend his contract, trade him ahead of the February deadline, or let him walk away in free agency with nothing in return. Reportedly, New Orleans has attempted to sign him to a new deal, but the two sides weren't close to an agreement, as the team was unwilling to meet his demands for a four-year, $200 million extension.

The Pelicans have until the end of the league year, June 30, to sign him to a new contract, and they may end up having to do that if they can't find a trade for him that they like before the deadline. But, anyone who's followed the team closely over the last few years knows that extending Ingram would be just delaying the inevitable, and, ultimately, finding a trade for him this season would be the best move for both him and the team. Brandon Ingram will be run through the trade machine more this year than almost any other NBA player, and Bleacher Report recently put out another proposal to send him to a new team.

Bleacher Report proposes baffling trade that sends Brandon Ingram to the Charlotte Hornets

The Charlotte Hornets have been a surprisingly competent team so far this year, sitting at 6-10 and firmly in the Play-In race in the Eastern Conference nearly a quarter of the way through the season. They're also starting to find their groove, with both LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller finding their grooves after rough starts to the campaign.

Grant Williams recently suffered a season-ending ACL tear, though, which puts a significant dent in their wing depth. This Bleacher Report trade would alleviate that while sending Brandon Ingram to his home state of North Carolina:

This deal makes perfect sense for the Hornets. They add another true scoring threat to a team that only has two semi-consistent offensive weapons in Ball and Miller. Both of Charlotte's young stars are capable of playing off-ball and are elite floor spacers due to their penchants for launching from deep on a whim. That would give Brandon Ingram plenty of room to carve up defenses inside of the arc and maximize his abilities as a midrange shooter and point forward.

For the Pelicans, though, this trade makes practically zero sense, even before Williams's injury, which was when the trade was initially posited. The youngest player headed back to New Orleans in this swap is Josh Green, a solid albeit uninspiring wing who struggles to hit from deep consistently.

If New Orleans's was still in position to make a run at the playoffs this year, then the trade would be a little more sensible for the Pels, but, even in that sense, it's hard to believe that they wouldn't be able to find a better deal for Ingram to boost their immediate competitiveness.

The only real desirable piece in this proposal for the Pelicans is that 2027 first-round pick. One first-rounder in a deal for a player of Ingram's caliber is the standard, though. Getting back anything less in terms of draft compensation would be complete malpractice from the New Orleans brass. The fact that it's lottery-protected makes this part of the deal subpar too.

Overall, this trade is heavily in favor of the Hornets who give up three middling role players and a single future first-round selection in return for a borderline All-Star. It's a cute idea that creates an exciting Big 3 for a burgeoning team, including a homecoming for Ingram, but it's just not a realistic return for the Pelicans.

Grade: D+