The Athletic has live coverage of the 2025 NBA trade deadline.
The NBA trade deadline is on Thursday. With one of the most important dates on the calendar coming up, the New Orleans Pelicans have one of the least certain futures in the league.
New Orleans has a long list of issues to sort through ahead of the deadline. Determining what happens with Brandon Ingram, the star forward who is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is the top priority. The Pelicans have been fielding offers for Ingram since last summer, but there hasn’t been much traction on a potential deal.
Beyond Ingram, the Pelicans must also decide how committed they are to keeping Zion Williamson. Will they try to obtain some future pieces by looking to move CJ McCollum to a contender? Then, there is the team’s ongoing efforts to duck below the luxury-tax threshold, the one move that is almost guaranteed to happen on or before Thursday. And as if things weren’t complicated enough, Dejounte Murray’s season-ending Achilles rupture last week raises even more concerns about how this team will move forward, assuming his recovery will force him to miss the start of the 2025-26 season.
Is it time to blow it up? Is it worth pushing the Ingram negotiations into the summer? Does it make sense to keep hoping Williamson will finally figure out his injury-related issues? How much say should head coach Willie Green and executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin have on what the next phase looks like in New Orleans?
I pitched a few Ingram-related trade ideas to some of my colleagues at The Athletic to see how the teams they cover may feel about potentially acquiring Ingram. I’m not reporting that these are deals the Pelicans have on the table or they’ve discussed with other teams. I’m just trying to illustrate some of the complexities that come with getting potential trades across the finish line.
Toronto Raptors
Pelicans receive: Bruce Brown Jr., Kelly Olynyk and a 2026 first-round pick (top-four protected via Indiana)
Raptors receive: Ingram
With this deal, the Pelicans can get some salary-cap relief with Brown’s $23 million contract expiring this summer. Olynyk also provides two paths the Pelicans can take with the 33-year-old center: They could keep him around on his $13.4 million contract for the 2025-26 season as a backup center who complements some of the things rookie center Yves Missi provides up front. While Missi is more of a rim runner and a shot blocker, Olynyk spaces the floor and he’s an experienced playmaker at the top of the key who could fit well next to Williamson in the frontcourt. Olynyk will be an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2026.
If the Pels wanted to go in a different direction, they could shop Olynyk this offseason to any contenders interested in his services and use that to add some more assets to their war chest. It also doesn’t hurt to add an Indiana first-rounder in 2026 that can either provide one more young player to the Pels’ core or another trade asset to be used down the line.
The Raptors’ view: This is an exceedingly fair proposal in terms of value, but the Raptors say no. It’s not solely about the value of the pick, although that is an obstacle. The problem is that if the Raptors trade for Ingram and signed him to, let’s say, a three-year, $120 million deal, then they are committed to paying the quartet of Ingram, Scottie Barnes, Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett nearly $144 million. Add in Jakob Poeltl, and the Raptors are only about $23 million shy of the luxury tax before they get to filling the bench.
I think a more realistic (but still unrealistic) framework would involve Barrett, who is extension-eligible this summer. I have fewer concerns about Ingram’s long-term fit versus Barrett’s, but Barrett is younger, cheaper (for now), healthier and happy to be in Toronto. Ultimately, the Raptors should sit this one out for now and maybe revisit in the summer. — Eric Koreen, Raptors beat writer
Detroit Pistons
Pelicans receive: Tim Hardaway Jr., Isaiah Stewart, Marcus Sasser, 2025 second-round pick (via Washington) and 2026 second-round pick (via New York)
Pistons receive: Ingram and Daniel Theis
The Pistons and Pelicans will always be linked in trade discussions because of the relationship between Griffin and Detroit president of basketball operations Trajan Langdon, who was previously the general manager in New Orleans from 2019-24.
From the Pels’ perspective, Stewart is a young big they’ve had their eyes on for a few years. He brings the tenacity and floor spacing New Orleans wants in a big next to Williamson. He’s also on a decent contract, with two years and $30 million left on the deal, along with a $15 million player option for the 2027-28 season.
Hardaway has a $16.1 million expiring contract, which could help the Pels’ books. But they could also consider keeping Hardaway around on a cheaper deal as a veteran voice in the locker room and a capable shooter from the perimeter. Sasser is a young point guard who New Orleans can develop at a cheap price. They need to start looking for some cheap alternatives at guard as Murray recovers.
Getting a first-rounder back in any Ingram deal would be ideal, but Washington’s second-rounder will likely be the 31st pick and the Pels have been able to acquire talent in the past by stacking up a few second-rounders.
The Pistons’ view: As impactful as Stewart, Hardaway and Sasser, I would do this deal if I were the Pistons.
Stewart is Detroit’s best defender around the rim, embodies the rugged Pistons mentality from the mid 1980s to early ’90s and is the longest-tenured player on the roster. Hardaway has been vital in helping space the floor for Cade Cunningham while also providing veteran leadership. Sasser has been the consummate professional, stayed ready for his opportunity and provided solid minutes as a backup point guard.
But an opportunity to pair a dynamic wing scorer like Ingram with a big, well-rounded point guard in Cunningham is one you have to take. One of Detroit’s biggest weaknesses this season has been an inability to consistently create offense outside of Cunningham. Ingram has averaged more 20 points and four assists per game for the last six seasons. He’s also a career 36.3 percent 3-point shooter.
Ingram comes with injuries concerns, but he came into this season having played 70 percent of regular-season games while he has been in New Orleans. Ingram is still just 27 with a couple series of playoff experience. A Cunningham-Ingram duo could be a formidable one-two punch for a few years to come.
The Pistons have enough 3-point shooting to survive without Hardaway and could cobble together backup center minutes with Theis and Paul Reed. — Hunter Patterson, Pistons beat writer
Chicago Bulls
Pelicans receive: Lonzo Ball, Jalen Smith, Dalen Terry, 2025 second-round pick (via Sacramento) and 2029 second-round pick
Bulls receive: Ingram and Theis
A familiar face returns to New Orleans, with Ball being the biggest name the Pels get in this return. However, the real value he brings is his $21.3 million expiring contract. Perhaps the Pels could persuade him to stick around at a cheap price and play with his old buddy Williamson again, but that would be secondary.
Smith, like other bigs I’ve included in this exercise, is a floor spacer who brings some value as a complement to what Missi does. Terry is another young prospect New Orleans can try to develop, as he is under contract through next season.
This deal is all about getting those additional picks, cap relief and taking a shot at Smith as a backup center.
The Bulls’ view: From a pure talent standpoint, Ingram definitely would be an upgrade for the Bulls. But from a team-building perspective, the Bulls would be better off long-term re-signing Ball rather than trading for Ingram and presumably re-signing him in the offseason. It would be another attempt at a quick fix by the Bulls and one that would keep them firmly in the middle in the Eastern Conference — unless the Bulls’ goal here is purely a salary dump. That route could make sense for a franchise that’s suddenly rebuilding in the aftermath of Zach LaVine’s trade to the Sacramento Kings.
Ingram’s next contract could be upward of $40 million, a steep price for a star who can’t be the best player on a championship team. Ball will cost a fraction of the price after missing more than two seasons following career-threatening knee surgeries — and he might be equally if not more impactful as Ingram in the playoffs. It’d be a big gamble for the Bulls, the kind of short-term, win-now acquisition that reeks of desperation. — Darnell Mayberry, Bulls beat writer
San Antonio Spurs
Pelicans receive: Keldon Johnson, Harrison Barnes, 2025 first-round pick
Spurs receive: Ingram and Theis
This would be an aggressive move by the Spurs after already trading for Sacramento star De’Aaron Fox on Sunday night, but Fox, Ingram and Victor Wembanyama have the potential to form one of the most formidable big threes in the Western Conference.
Johnson and Barnes are both capable wing players who can bring experience and size on the perimeter. Both are under contract for a combined $36.5 million next season, so I would assume at least one of them gets dealt in the offseason. But that shouldn’t be an issue. Both guys should have a pretty decent market once they’re up for grabs in the summer.
San Antonio may be reluctant to give up its own first-round pick in this year’s draft, considering the Spurs are currently two games out of the Play-In Tournament. But adding Fox and Ingram would indicate a clear commitment to making this year’s postseason.
The Spurs’ view: Adding Ingram works in a vacuum — Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson could certainly use him around Wembanyama. Even after acquiring Fox, I’m not sure it’s worth losing Barnes’ shooting and versatility, even if you could stomach Keldon Johnson’s departure.
I can’t imagine the Spurs front office being thrilled at the idea of paying Ingram nearly $50 million per year in a long-term extension, either. Wembanyama is the face and future of the franchise. Bringing in Ingram, a high-usage second-tier scorer and creator — while also making him the highest-paid player in the locker room — doesn’t feel like a San Antonio thing to do.
The Spurs should be fine rolling the dice on a Fox/Wemby pairing and figuring out the rest in the offseason. Barnes has been a tremendous addition in the locker room. The Spurs sought him out for his leadership and work ethic, in addition to his play. There are also better fits on the market if the Spurs want to make more moves. — Kelly Iko, NBA writer
(Top photo: Sean Gardner / Getty Images)
