Brian Windhorst provides important news on the Atlanta Hawks and Brandon Ingram

Last week, the Atlanta Hawks made a deal to send Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans in exchange for Dyson Daniels, EJ Liddell, Larry Nance Jr., and two first-round picks. It was a move that seemed inevitable during the offseason, with the Hawks needing to break up Murray and Trae Young’s backcourt to move in a different direction. It appears Atlanta will try to surround Young with more size and length defensively and build a better roster around him.

There was a lot of speculation this offseason that the Hawks would trade Murray for Brandon Ingram and some thought it was a natural fit for both parties. When that trade was made, there was some surprise when Ingram was not included in the initial trade.

On the latest episode of the Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst provided some brief details on the Hawks and Ingram:

“The Hawks weren’t interested in Brandon Ingram.”

This isn’t really surprising. While Ingram could be considered a good player alongside Trae Young due to his size and ability to create his own shot, his contract is expiring and he’s reportedly seeking a max deal, which I’m not sure the Hawks are interested in paying. Ingram is a very good player, but he’s injury-prone and may not deserve a max contract.

On the day of Murray’s trade, Yahoo Sports NBA insider Jake Fischer said there had been no substantive discussions between the Hawks and Pelicans surrounding Brandon Ingram:

“Atlanta is another popular spot that league insiders have pointed out for Ingram, but there haven’t been any substantive discussions between the Hawks and Pelicans, sources said, since the two teams discussed trade scenarios involving Dejounte Murray before the February trade deadline. Atlanta had focused on securing its first pick in this week’s draft, then the Hawks were determined to trade in the second round, sources said, because Atlanta ultimately got Nikola Đurišić. The Hawks should certainly now evaluate trade possibilities for Murray, All-Star guard Trae Young, Clint Capela and the rest of their rostered players not named Jalen Johnson and Zaccharie Risacher, sources said. Young has the Pelicans in mind as his next favorite possible teams, league sources told Yahoo Sports, in addition to the Spurs and Lakers, but Young’s fit has never made much sense for a situation in New Orleans that currently has CJ McCollum in its backcourt.”

At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Ingram has the size the Hawks need and he’s also capable of making plays. Whether he has the ball in his hands or not, Ingram can either get his own shot or serve others. He’s averaged nearly six assists per game over the past three seasons and has been a solid shot creator for the Pelicans’ offense. He had a tough offensive series against the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs this season, but being with either Young would open up a lot of possibilities for him.

He doesn’t fit perfectly in Atlanta, especially from a defensive standpoint. If he were paired with Young, he would add to the team’s defensive issues, but they could be overcome because while he’s not a great defender, he’s not one of the worst in the league and he at least has the size. The other thing would be his three-point shooting percentage, because it’s fluctuated a bit over the years. He shot 35.5 percent from three this year, compared to 39 percent last year. The year before, he shot 32 percent. There’s an inconsistency in his three-point shooting percentage.

You never say never in the NBA, but it doesn’t look like the Hawks and Brandon Ingram are going to be a match for each other this offseason.