Blockbuster three-team trade draft sends Alex Caruso + Brandon Ingram to Hawks, Dejounte Murray to Pelicans

The Atlanta Hawks are getting closer to having to make some major roster decisions. The 2024 NBA Draft is less than three weeks away and Atlanta is on the clock after winning the draft lottery. Additionally, Atlanta needs to figure out what to do with the Trae Young/Dejounte Murray backcourt, as well as other veteran players such as Clint Capela and De’Andre Hunter. This team could look a lot different by the time the season starts in October.

New Orleans was swept in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder and is looking to shake up its roster this offseason.

Both teams are looking to reshape their rosters and have pieces 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 two teams have been described as natural trading partners and there is a lot of meaning that could be made in many different exchanges between the two teams.

The Chicago Bulls, on the other hand, are a bit of a mystery. DeMar DeRozan is a free agent and while Chicago wants to stay competitive for a lower seed in the East, is that really sustainable in the long term? Wouldn’t the Bulls be better off trading away their key players and rebuilding? If Derozan leaves, that could be the case.

How about a trade that would help all three teams? Three-team deals aren’t common in the NBA, but some make sense. The last proposal I made gives each team the type of trade package they might want (reminder, this is all speculative):

Atlanta receives: Brandon Ingram and Alex Caruso

New Orleans receives: Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela

Chicago receives: Dyson Daniels, AJ Griffin, pick No. 21 in the 2024 draft (Via New Orleans)

I think this is an exchange that would benefit all parties. Atlanta gets a playmaking wing with size in Ingram and one of the NBA’s best point of attack defenders in Caruso, something Atlanta sorely needs. New Orleans has a point guard to run its offense in Murray and a big rim protector who is also a good offensive rebounder in Capela. Murray is on a very favorable deal, giving New Orleans the opportunity to extend Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. The Bulls get two talented young players on cheap contracts and an additional first-round pick for Caruso, who is entering the final year of his contract.

If Atlanta made this deal, what would they do with the No. 1 pick? They could take UConn center Donovan Clingan and have a roster of:

PG – Trae Young

SG-Alex Caruso

SF – Brandon Ingram

PF – Jalen Johnson

C- Donovan Clingan (could be Alex Sarr too)

The defense, by far the weakest part of Atlanta’s team, is getting some much-needed improvement. While Ingram is more of a mid-range shooter than a three-point shooter, the Hawks would have one of the best point guards in the NBA who would open the lane and create easy offense for this team. The Hawks would also have a potentially lethal bench with Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Onyeka Okongwu and Kobe Bufkin. That should be enough to get Atlanta back into the playoff race. They improve the defense around them and don’t sacrifice much offense. Caruso is a good three-point shooter and would be a great fit alongside Young.

I think this would be a good trade for the Pelicans as well. The holdup might be what the Bulls want to do. They have had the opportunity to rebuild and trade, but have been reluctant to do so until now. If they don’t plan to extend Caruso, they should consider trading him. Griffin still has potential as a knockdown shooter, Daniels is a good two-way guard, and the Bulls would have an extra pick in the first round. It would be difficult for them to find a better return than that.

At 6’8 190 LBS, Ingram checks off the size the Hawks need and he also checks the playmaking box. Whether he has the ball in his hands or not, Ingram can either get his own shot or set up one. others. He averaged nearly six assists per game over the past three seasons and was a good shot creator for the Pelican offense. He had a rough offensive run against the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs this season, but being with either Young would open up a lot of things for him.

However, he is not a perfect fit for Atlanta, especially from a defensive standpoint. If he were to be paired with Young, he would add to the team’s defensive issues, 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 at least has size. . 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, up from 39% last year. The year before, he shot 32 percent. There is an inconsistency with his three-point shot.

Ingram is also entering the final year of his contract and will need a new one after next season. Obviously, if the Hawks trade for him, they’ll give him a new contract, but that would also tie him and the team’s point guard up. Also consider that Jalen Johnson will be extension eligible this offseason, meaning Atlanta could have a lot of money tied up in Young/Murray, Ingram, the No. 1 pick (unless he’s traded), and Johnson . This would be the core of the Hawks if they made this trade and they would have to hope that it could bring them more success than they have had recently in the playoffs. Atlanta would also likely want to extend Caruso and lock down that core.

Ingram would bring a lot of upside to the Hawks and it appears New Orleans might be willing to move him.

Again, this is all speculative and these types of assumptions are far off, but this exchange makes sense for all parties.

Buckle up for a potentially wild summer.