RealGM

Surely this is too overloaded to actually happen, but it was fun to muse on.

Pelicans in:

Trae Young
Onyeka Okongwu
Kevin Huerter

Pelicans out:

CJ McCollum
Brandon Ingram
Dyson Daniels
Jordan Hawkins
2025 LAL 1st (Unp)
2026 NOP 1st (Unp)
2027 MIL 1st (Unp)

Why? - Partner Zion with an elite playmaker and more effective scoring threat than is currently on the team. Trae would be surrounded by big wings at the 2-3-4 spots which should mitigate some of his defensive woes. Okongwu makes sense as a cost controlled timeline fit in the frontcourt with Zion. Huerter would be the 6th man to provide a scoring and shooting punch off the bench. McCollum hasn't quite been able to deliver for the Pels, while it feels inevitable that Ingram has to leave which will also provide space in the starting line up for Trey Murphy. The entire core of this new team would be in their mid 20s with players that make sense together. The Pelicans would still have enough assets to tinker down the line if need be. The team would even have a starting 5 that makes sense if Zion is injured by inserting Huerter and shuffling Trey and Herb down a position.


Kings in:

Brandon Ingram

Kings out:

Kevin Huerter
Harrison Barnes
Protections on 2025 pick to Hawks removed (Currently 1-12 2025, 1-10 2026)
2026 Swap rights to Hawks (Kings would receive worst of SAS, ATL, NOP, SAC 2026 1sts)
2027 SAC 1st (Unp)

Why? - Essentially the Kings are trading away 2 role players and some pick equity for a talent upgrade to try and improve in a tough western conference. They actually only give up 1 extra pick here, but inherit some additional risk in unprotecting the 2025 first and very likely worsen their 2026 pick. Gut feeling is the Kings might not be paying enough here, but Ingram is expiring and just looked bad in the playoffs (admittedly returning from an injury). Ingram feels close to the top end of talent that the Kings could reasonably expect to add to Fox/Sabonis while being able to keep Murray.


Hawks in:

CJ McCollum
Dyson Daniels
Jordan Hawkins
Harrison Barnes
2025 LAL 1st (Unp)
2025 SAC 1st have current protections removed
2026 NOP 1st (Unp)
Rights to swap either of NOP or ATL/SAS (After SAS does/doesn't exercise their swap rights between those two picks) for 2026 SAC 1st
2027 MIL 1st (Unp)

Hawks out:

Trae Young
Onyeka Okongwu

Why? - Cashing out on Trae in a situation that feels fairly untenable between he and Dejounte. You get a very competitive pick package here. 3 new unprotected picks, a way to safeguard against a potentially devastating swap if San Antonio is a top seed with Wemby by 2026, and the guarantee of the Kings pick they already own conveying with improved upside. The 2027 Mil pick should arrive as the Bucks age out of competitiveness while the Lakers and Sacramento could both end up in the lottery next year with teams like Houston, Memphis and San Antonio looking like potential threats to overtake. The Hawks also get a couple of mid tier prospects that are definitely at least worth trying out in Daniels and Hawkins.

McCollum and Barnes provide veteran leadership and should be able to help the Hawks continue to be a viable threat for the play-in for the medium term, during which they owe picks to San Antonio. It also assumes that they pick Sarr who would take Okongwu's back up center role along with time at PF. The Hawks would be able to entertain plenty of follow up moves in either direction (buying or selling).

Some further thoughts.

Ultimately Trae is going to be an 'acquired taste' player so trading dollar for dollar seems unlikely. There are other teams who might be willing to give competitive offers. Houston, Detroit, San Antonio, Brooklyn and Utah all come to mind with varying degrees of viability.

Maybe the Kings could be cut out if Atlanta likes Ingram a lot. I have Trae >> Ingram personally. Especially for the Pelicans.

I guess I just fail to see Trae Young as being a good fit in New Orleans.

I don't love Trae as a target for the Pelicans and local press indicate neither does the Pels FO. I think if we trade with Atlanta it would be the Murray/OO deal they were discussing at the deadline as opposed to Trae/OO. I do think the Pels would also be open to an OO trade individually.

Colbinii wrote:I guess I just fail to see Trae Young as being a good fit in New Orleans.

For me, I feel as though the fits with Trey Murphy and Herb Jones are fairly self evident.

The one with Zion is interesting. It would be nice to have the ball in Zions hands a lot, but I am not sure he is quite creative enough with the ball in hand to run the offense full time. We saw McCollum doing a lot of the point play and Trae is levels above McCollum at this. The way teams have stumped Trae on offense in the past is by blitzing him with double teams of larger players which is going to be very tough to do with a threat like Zion on the court, especially when paired with a panic inducing spacer like Trey Murphy. Trae has been a good lob thrower and Zion is a strong lob threat, and Trae is one of the best at finding open shooters too. The range Trae is willing to shoot from also pairs well with Zions need to score at the hoop.

On defense, the Pelicans offer more size and length on the perimeter than most teams can muster to try and cover for Trae.

What other places do you think Trae fits better at?

Euphonetiks wrote:I don't love Trae as a target for the Pelicans and local press indicate neither does the Pels FO. I think if we trade with Atlanta it would be the Murray/OO deal they were discussing at the deadline as opposed to Trae/OO. I do think the Pels would also be open to an OO trade individually.

I think Murray/OO makes sense for the Pelicans. Reading the tea leaves it just feels as though a Trae move is more likely now as compared to the trade deadline from a Hawks perspective.

None of those players interest me for Atlanta and a lot of those picks are probably mediocre 1st + they have to add OO? Not interested at all.

DrModesty wrote:

Euphonetiks wrote:I don't love Trae as a target for the Pelicans and local press indicate neither does the Pels FO. I think if we trade with Atlanta it would be the Murray/OO deal they were discussing at the deadline as opposed to Trae/OO. I do think the Pels would also be open to an OO trade individually.

I think Murray/OO makes sense for the Pelicans. Reading the tea leaves it just feels as though a Trae move is more likely now as compared to the trade deadline from a Hawks perspective .

I’d still be surprised. The rumors around Trae I believe are from rival teams not the hawks. It feels like almost every single hawks player has been in trade rumors 4 years in a row.

Ball4life32 wrote:None of those players interest me for Atlanta and a lot of those picks are probably mediocre 1st + they have to add OO? Not interested at all.

If you were to trade Trae, what sort of return would you expect. I am not saying Trae has to be traded mind you.

Kings say yes.