Zion to Brooklyn? Brandon Ingram to ... anywhere? Evaluating your Pelicans trades

The New Orleans Pelicans have been unwatchable during much of their disastrous 5-27 start to the season, but that wont stop them from being one of the most talked-about franchises over the next few months.

As trade season heats up, the Pelicans will be at the forefront of many discussions as several players suddenly have uncertain futures in New Orleans, a result of the failures that have led to this team somehow holding the worst record in the NBA.

Advertisement Last week, I requested your best fake Pelicans trade proposals, and the submissions featured Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum and nearly every other key player on the roster.

Its unclear how much change will come in New Orleans ahead of the Feb.

6 trade deadline, but its almost certain this team will be making some moves to shake things up and prepare for the future.

Lets evaluate some of the ideas you provided: Pelicans get: Ben Simmons, Brooklyns 2025 first-round pick, Brooklyns 2025 top-5 protected first-round pick (via Milwaukee), Brooklyns 2027 first-round pick (via NY Knicks) and Brooklyns 2029 first-round pick Nets get: Zion Williamson and Jose Alvarado @Rtnorthrup Who says no? Both As infuriating as its been for some Pelicans fans to endure another injury-riddled season from the face of the franchise, I think its unlikely that the Pelicans will trade Williamson before the deadline.

I wont be shocked if Williamsons name pops up in rumors over the next month.

Considering where the Pelicans are in the standings, it would be more shocking if teams werent circling them in hopes of snatching away some of the talented players on this roster.

Williamsons potential is way too high to give up on him at 24 years old.

Plus, all signs point to him returning to the court within the next few weeks.

The team has already announced that he plans to participate in a full team practice at some point this week.

If he can get back on the court and produce over the final few months of the season without any hiccups, there would be no reason for the Pelicans to consider moving him.

While all of this is true on the Pelicans side, theres no way Brooklyn would give up four first-round picks to acquire a guy thats missed as much time as Williamson has.

Im willing to bet Brooklyn goes star-hunting again at some point in the near future, but giving up that much for a player with Williamsons injury history would be a huge risk one Brooklyn probably wont take for a few more years.

Advertisement Pelicans get: Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Jordan, 2026 first-round pick Nuggets get: Brandon Ingram @P4L_OG Who says no? Nuggets Both teams would probably say no in this scenario, but its really tough to see Denver going in this direction, given the pressure it has felt to provide Nikola Jokic with a sustainable championship-caliber supporting cast.

While Ingram would probably be a talent upgrade over Porter, its unclear how hed fit next to Jokic in an offense that requires plenty of quick reads and off-ball movement.

Ingram can be methodical and ball-dominant when operating in his most comfortable state.

Those two traits do not fit in an offense that operates around Jokic and Jamal Murray.

Then, theres the matter of giving Ingram the long-term contract hes looking for as he prepares for unrestricted free agency next summer.

Committing that much money to Ingram would be a concern for Denver in todays second-apron climate.

While Ingram could provide some of the on-ball scoring punch this team has lacked with most of its perimeter options, giving up Porter to go all-in on Ingram would be a big risk.

One of the biggest strengths for the Nuggets is that all of their pieces fit so well together.

Throwing Ingram into the mix could mess with that on-court chemistry.

Considering Ingrams contract situation, Denver might not be open to giving up one of its future first-rounders.

From the Pelicans perspective, Porter may be only 26, but he still has two years and $78 million left on his current contract.

Thats a lot of money for a team already navigating a complicated financial future.

Not to mention, Porters injury history would be a major concern for a franchise thats constantly dealt with concerns about keeping its star players healthy.

Porters future will be fascinating if the Nuggets decide to move on from him soon.

He has so many traits that teams need in todays NBA.

He just doesnt seem like the right fit for the Pels.

Advertisement Pelicans get: Andrew Wiggins, Jonathan Kuminga, Trayce Jackson-Davis and 2025 first-round pick Warriors get: Brandon Ingram @P4L_OG Who says no? Warriors If the Warriors were interested in making a deal with this framework, they probably couldve gotten it done last summer, when the Pelicans were openly shopping Ingram.

Golden State seems to value Kuminga highly, and he probably wont be on the move unless the Warriors feel like theyre getting a certified superstar in return, or at least a very good player who is a snug fit.

Ingram has the potential to be a great sidekick next to Stephen Curry, but his fit with the Warriors could be awkward for all the same reasons I said he may not fit in Denver.

It takes a certain type of player to mesh with the Warriors read-and-react offense.

Kuminga is one example of a player whos required a few years of experience to grasp the intricacies that come with this offense.

The Warriors have been struggling lately, which may make them a little more aggressive in the trade market in the coming weeks.

However, Im not sure they would be willing to commit to Ingram long-term without being certain he can get them back to the Western Conference finals.

Kuminga would be a fun player for a young team to build around.

Hed also be really good insurance for any potential Zion Williamson injury (or breakup) in the future.

However, hes a very polarizing figure in a few NBA circles and some teams including the one hes currently on, seemingly may think its risky to give him a massive extension without seeing him make a big jump during the second half of the season.

Pelicans get: Dillon Brooks, Steven Adams, Cam Whitmore Rockets get: CJ McCollum, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Daniel Theis, Javonte Green @just_adavis Who says no? Rockets This would be an interesting deal for both teams.

The Rockets get a veteran scorer to help them during their playoff push, while the Pels get some cap relief, a good player on a reasonable contract (Brooks) and a young piece to add to their current core (Whitmore).

Im just a little skeptical about Houstons eagerness to break up what it has going.

Advertisement Whitmore would be a really fun wing player to add to what the Pelicans already have.

He lit New Orleans up with a career-high 27 points in a blowout victory last Thursday.

Houstons roster is so incredibly deep with talent that it could afford to move Whitmore to another team and not even flinch.

McCollums $30-million price tag in 2025-26 may score them off a little bit, and his lack of size wouldnt be a great fit with the defense-first mindset Rockets head coach Ime Udoka has instilled with that group.

This is the kind of deal New Orleans should pursue if its interested in moving McCollum.

The Rockets seem content with committing to the young guys they have in place rather than pursuing big-name veterans for now.

McCollum as a super sixth man could do some damage on that uber-athletic Rockets team, but it probably wont happen this year, especially if Brooks is involved.

Pelicans get: Kyle Kuzma, Corey Kispert Wizards get: Dejounte Murray @nola_legend Who says no? Pelicans The start of Murrays tenure in New Orleans has been awful , but theres still optimism within the organization that hell be able to turn it around with more time on the floor.

Hes shown some gradual signs of growth over the past few games, but his shooting numbers are still way down, and hes turning the ball over at a career-high pace.

Some Pelicans fans are already prepared to pull the plug on the Murray experiment, but its early to make such a drastic change.

And moving Murray at this point would almost ensure that the return wouldnt be anywhere near what the Pelicans gave up to get him last summer.

Kuzma and Kispert are two good role players on great contracts, but I dont see them as significant upgrades over the pieces New Orleans already has in place.

Kispert could be another deadly shooter to complement Williamson, and Kuzma would add some size to the frontcourt, which has been lacking.

Advertisement However, the Pelicans would also be back in the hunt for a true point guard to run the offense.

As bad as Murray has been, its way too early to start considering deals like this.

Pelicans get: Walker Kessler Jazz get: Jordan Hawkins @brandon_bigard Who says no? Pelicans This deal made a whole lot more sense last summer, when the Pelicans thought they were in desperate need of a starting center.

But with the emergence of Yves Missi, I dont see any reason New Orleans should be in a rush to give up real assets for another big.

Kessler is averaging nearly 11 rebounds and three blocks this season, which puts him on a short list of centers capable of putting up such big numbers.

Still, I think his impact is a little oversold because his name has been thrown around so often in trade rumors.

Hes really good, but hes not a game-changer quite yet.

Hawkins 3-point shooting potential makes him a much more interesting prospect for New Orleans to commit to.

Pelicans get: Tim Hardaway Jr.

and Isaiah Stewart Pistons get: Brandon Ingram and Karlo Martovic @JBro3327 Who says no? Pelicans The Pistons are definitely a team to keep an eye on heading into the trade deadline.

Theyre fighting to hold on to a spot in the Eastern Conference Play-In Tournament, and it would make sense for them to pursue win-now trades with Cade Cunningham rounding into a potential All-Star this season.

The links between the Pistons and the Pelicans are clear.

Former Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon now serves as the president of basketball operations in Detroit, and, like Ingram, Langdon is a former Duke star who developed a close relationship with the Pelicans forward during their time together in New Orleans.

Finding Cunningham the right co-star will be a priority for Detroit, especially if he keeps making the team more competitive than anyone expected it to be coming into the year.

Ingram could be a great fit next to Cunningham, and the Pistons have plenty of cap space to give Ingram the lucrative deal he wants.

But would they settle for Ingram or hold out for a bigger name down the line? Or maybe Langdon sees more value in returning to the lottery this summer and adding one more piece from the loaded incoming draft class.

Advertisement Either way, New Orleans doesnt take this trade seriously without a better player than Stewart to build around in the future.

At least one more young player would have to be involved, and probably an additional draft pick or two.

I highly doubt Detroit would be willing to surrender multiple future first-round picks to get Ingram in the building, but that may be what it takes to get a deal done if the Pistons arent willing to include former first-round picks such as Jalen Duren, Ausar Thompson or Ron Holland.

(Top photo: Stephen Lew / USA Today).

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