One way the Pelicans can trade Brandon Ingram for an upgrade emerges

Brandon Ingram has had his name run through the trade machine thousands of times since he came to the New Orleans Pelicans. Even early on, it was obvious that he and Zion Williamson weren't a perfect pairing, as both of them did their best offensive work inside of the arc and neither of them was a shutdown defender.

Those trade talks only snowballed as Ingram became more of a midrange shooter, more of a point forward, less of a spot-up shooter, and less of a stopper. When the Pelicans traded for CJ McCollum, they added another secondary playmaker who thrives as an on-ball scorer as a slasher and middy shooter. That only ramped up the fake Ingram trades being pushed out.

The trade talk really came to a head this past summer, though, with New Orleans trading for Dejounte Murray, another ballhandler who does a lot of scoring inside, and Ingram on the last deal of his contract. The Pelicans have until the end of the current league year, June 30, to extend Ingram, otherwise, he'll hit unrestricted free agency in July. Of course, if they don't plan on re-signing him, New Orleans would be wise to deal him ahead of the deadline to prevent losing him for nothing in the summer. The Ringer's Bill Simmons recently proposed a trade that would shock the world and give the Pelicans another bona fide superstar.

This proposed trade could take the New Orleans Pelicans over the hump

When trading away a player of Brandon Ingram's caliber, it's almost impossible to wind up with an upgrade in talent. Ingram is right in the beginning of his prime and one of the top scorers in the league. Unless there's another team with an expendable star who thinks that Ingram might be a better fit in their system, there's no way for the Pelicans to win the deal in terms of value.

Instead, New Orleans should be looking for either assets — draft picks and young prospects — or a package of high-end role players that might turn out to be more impactful than Ingram as a sum. For example, the Pelicans could deal him away in return for a veteran starting center and some wing depth, which would fill two of their most glaring roster holes while Zion, CJ, and Dejounte pick up the extra offensive slack.

But, there may be a way now for New Orleans to trade Ingram for a better player straight up. Bill Simmons surmised on his show, NBA 6-Pack, that the Miami Heat may be at the end of their run this season and might end up trading Jimmy Butler this year, and he mentioned the New Orleans Pelicans as a possible landing spot.

If they were to trade for Jimmy Buckets, Brandon Ingram would obviously have to be in the deal, as his salary and situation makes him the obvious outgoing piece. In this current moment and probably for a few seasons down the line, Butler is undeniably the better player.

He's a proven playoff riser who's led his team to the NBA Finals twice as the number one option. He's a legitimate shot-creator and playmaker, capable of generating offense for himself and his teammates on a whim. He might be the only player in the league with an argument against Herb Jones as the best off-ball wing defender.

There would be some concerns, of course, which led Simmons to say that he doesn't think that New Orleans should be interested in Butler at all, although that seems a bit overstated. Butler is even less of an outside shooter than Ingram, although he is a threat to take and make them in big moments. He regularly misses between 20-30 games per season which makes him a questionable co-star alongside Zion. He's also 35 years old so trading for him puts a short cap on the Pelicans' title window.

That said, Butler is still indisputably one of the greatest players in the NBA, especially in the playoffs. His passing vision, perimeter defense, off-ball defense, and go-to scoring would all be welcome additions to this Pelicans roster. His presence alongside Zion would make New Orleans dark-horse title contenders immediately. There aren't many conceivable ways to trade Brandon Ingram for an upgrade; dealing him away for Jimmy Butler is absolutely one of them.