Just days after the 2024 NBA Draft, and days before the free agency period, the Atlanta Hawks and the New Orleans Pelicans have made a big trade.
After two seasons, the Hawks are pulling the plug on the Trae Young-Dejounte Murray backcourt. And the New Orleans Pelicans have swooped in, sending out draft capital and Larry Nance Jr. in exchange for the former Spurs’ 2022 All-Star, Murray.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the story in bits and pieces on X: “Full trade on ESPN: Dejounte Murray for Larry Nance Jr., Dyson Daniels, 2025 first-round pick (via Lakers), 2027 first-round pick (least favorable of Bucks-Pels),” Woj reported.
In a follow up tweet, Woj added:
“New Orleans was 0-24 when trailing entering the fourth and 2-14 in close games and see Murray as a player who can generate offense late in games. Pels remain committed to core that includes Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. Pels are trying to find common ground with Brandon Ingram contract.”
Woj said there is still more work to be done in Atlanta, remaking the young core in place there. Is Nance Jr. now a name the Sixers could eye? Daryl Morey and co. once showed some interest in acquiring the versatile and bouncy forward back in 2021.
But it’s that last line from Woj above about Ingram that will likely have most Sixer fans attention… will the Pelicans ultimately find common ground on a new extension with Ingram? I think most insiders would still guess that Ingram will be traded and not wind up extending with the team who traded for him five years ago in the Anthony Davis Lakers’ blockbuster. But this certainly gives them a bit more optionality.
The Pelicans have a chance to do something special with Ingram now and are not limited to securing a guard.
Possibilities are vast. Including the possibility he stays on a sub max!
— Shamit Dua (@FearTheBrown) June 28, 2024
If the Sixers do trade for Brandon Ingram this summer, I believe they’d be able to offer him a three-year, $136.1M extension as part of the trade.
His five-year max salary next summer projects to be nearly $270M, but it’s hard to imagine any team giving him *that*.
— Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) June 28, 2024
PG has things on hold for at least another handful of hours
Photo by Tim Heitman/NBAE via Getty Images
According to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, speaking earlier Friday on ESPN’s “Get UP:”
“[The Sixers] have the most cap space out there, around $60M. They are obviously interested in signing Paul George. They have to hold their other business, their other free agent aspirations, until they see what Paul George’s decision is. That decision could come [Friday or Saturday] it may not be into free agency.”
So the Sixers may have real interest in trading for Brandon Ingram here. We’ve heard that he’s atop some of their fallback plan options in the past. But Daryl Morey and Co. likely won’t want to part with the precious draft assets for Ingram (they can still trade up to four first-rounders following their selection of Jared McCain Wednesday) until they know where they stand with PG.
Signing PG into Philadelphia’s cap space for a $212M max four-year deal would not only allow them to acquire a player more feared by defenders and scorers than Ingram, but additionally retain their significant draft haul to target even more help via trade between July and February’s 2025 NBA Trade Deadline.
But in the more likely event that PG remains on the West Coast, this big move by the Pelicans should:
- probably signify a willingness-acceptance to move on from Ingram without any positional needs (the good part) and
- give them more leverage in a potential deal — since their own fans will likely want to see how the current core looks together (the bad part).
Ingram has never played more than 64 games for the Peli’s in a single season, but the 26-year-old can create his own shot, pass, draw free throws, space the floor and knock down triples at a respectable clip.
We’re all waiting to see what happens with George. And before that, we’re keeping a close watch on names like Chris Paul and Andrew Wiggins, to see if the Warriors can find a way to thwart Morey’s plans just like the Clippers would love to do.
But New Orleans making a move like this could certainly be interpreted as a team that has accepted the very real possibility of moving on from the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft and 2020 All-Star.
There’s plenty of trade activity to come, just like Detroit’s deal for Tim Hardaway Jr. that we had to scrap from what was filed last night! More on the shaping offseason landscape @YahooSports: https://t.co/4e2SdvkL3k
— Jake Fischer (@JakeLFischer) June 28, 2024
Earlier Friday, Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer wondered if three first-round picks might be enough for Morey to land Ingram.
Could the Murray deal, sending out two picks, increase NOLA’s appetite to restock their future draft coffers? Or does GM David Griffin think they can work something out to keep BI around, having now added one more key piece to this Pelican puzzle?
Woj’s wording that New Orleans remains committed to Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum is probably the most interesting nugget from the Sixers’ POV. Keep watching that clock to see what Paul George does… he has until Saturday at 6 p.m. Eastern to make up his mind. Because Woj did not say they’re fully committed to building around BI, and Murray’s presence may be further evidence they’re ready for a retool. I wonder if B-Ball Paul Reed might appeal to them now that Nance Jr. is in Hotlanta. I guess they could use a low-priced athletic big.
The New Orleans Pelicans are now $2.6 million below the $171.3 million luxury tax line with 12 players, but more moves could follow.
They need a center, and are down one by moving Larry Nance Jr.
Brandon Ingram or CJ McCollum could be trade candidates to help acquire a big man.
— Yossi Gozlan (@YossiGozlan) June 28, 2024
Finally, the Hawks, still owe unprotected picks in 2025 and 2027 plus a swap to the Spurs San Antonio from the 2022 trade when they landed Murray. The Hawks may be thinking fire-sale if Morey wants to place a call and offer future draft ammo there too. Names like Trae Young, De’Andre Huter, Bogdan Bogdanović, Onyeka Okongwu, could all be left wondering about their future now as well.