The Brandon Ingram trade Pistons must consider to secure playoff berth

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The Detroit Pistons have a winning record for the first time since they started the 2023-24 season with a 2-1 record. Currently 19-18 this season, the Pistons could move two games above .500 for the first time since Mar. 30, 2019. With Cade Cunningham leading the charge, there is a clear path to this young, rising Pistons team making a real run at a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference. That is why there is no better time to add a star like Brandon Ingram than right now.

As the NBA trade deadline inches closer, so does the end of Ingram’s time with the New Orleans Pelicans. While the 27-year-old forward is still an impactful player, the Pelicans appear ready to take things in a new direction.

Ingram is in the final year of his contract and the two sides have always been far apart during extension negotiations. With the former All-Star switching agencies to join Rich Paul at Klutch Sports, it is a given that the Pelicans forward will be the biggest name to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2024-25 season.

At this time, the Pelicans have prioritized trading Ingram ahead of the NBA trade deadline. Every other team around the league knows that Ingram is available and that New Orleans wants to move him, which is why his value is at an all-time low. Not to mention, he has been sidelined since Dec. 7 with a severe ankle sprain and is not expected to return for at least another couple of weeks.

Unlike previous years when the Pistons were at the bottom of the league standings and the Pelicans fought for a playoff spot, the script has been flipped. Detroit is now the team on the rise in playoff position, as New Orleans sits at the bottom of the Western Conference standings with a 7-31 record.

Although Ingram doesn’t command a market around the league, the Pistons are an intriguing and attractive destination for the former All-Star for several reasons. Aside from the Pistons having cap space and a relationship with Ingram already, this organization is ready to add another star next to Cunningham.

Could Ingram be the player Detroit ends up with?

How Pistons can land Brandon Ingram

Detroit Pistons receive: F Brandon Ingram, F Jeremiah Robinson-Earl

New Orleans Pelicans receive: F Ron Holland II, G Tim Hardaway Jr, DET 2027 1st round pick (lottery-protected), BKN/DAL/DET 2027 2nd round pick (least favorable of three picks), NYK 2028 2nd round pick (via DET)

Before anything is explained, Pelicans fans will have a problem with this trade package. Ingram is a proven All-Star talent who has been a constant 20-5-5 player over the last several seasons, so why would he be obtainable by a team like the Pistons for such a low price?

Well, the Pelicans have shot themselves in the foot regarding Ingram. Contract extension talks went south multiple times, Ingram switched agencies, and the team has been searching around the league for a possible Ingram trade suitor. It is no secret that New Orleans would like to receive some type of compensation for Ingram before he leaves in free agency, which is why they shouldn’t expect a whole lot of valuable assets back in a potential trade.

Much like how the Miami Heat are facing a similar situation with Jimmy Butler and his value being super low, the Pelicans can’t do much to improve Ingram’s outlook at this juncture. That is especially true since he is currently rehabbing from a severe ankle sprain.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of information surrounding the Pistons ahead of the NBA trade deadline is that they have $14 million in cap space. Although Detroit has made it known to other teams that they would be willing to take on unwanted salaries to help facilitate trades, this team would most certainly change their outlook based on the success they find through the next couple of weeks.

Now that the Pistons own a winning record and can push for a playoff spot, the idea of taking a back seat could suddenly change into this organization becoming a true buyer at the deadline. So, why the Pistons for Ingram after all?

Jaden Ivey recently going down with a broken leg leaves a major hole to fill in Detroit. This franchise is also at the point of their rebuild where Cunningham’s emergence as a first-time All-Star this season will make them an attractive destination for another star-level player of Ingram’s caliber. There is then the connection the Pistons have to the Pelicans forward by way of team president Trajan Langdon.

Before he became the Pistons president of basketball operations, Langdon was the general manager of the Pelicans from 2019-24. One of his first moves as the leader of New Orleans’ front office was to move Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers in a deal that sent Ingram and other assets to the Pelicans. Langdon and Ingram have held a strong relationship through the years.

Entering the 2024-25 season, the Pistons made it a point of emphasis to add veteran leaders to their roster highlighted by young talents. That is why Tobias Harris, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Malik Beasley were added to JB Bickerstaff’s roster. Ingram is now in his ninth season, and he would be the ideal type of star to complement Cunningham’s play as another high-level scorer and facilitator.

Now comes the difficult task of formulating a trade package that makes sense for both parties. Aside from wanting to move on from Ingram, the Pelicans also face an internal dilemma of wanting to dip below the luxury tax line with their season lost. Since the Pelicans have a payroll of $172.9 million, which is over the $170.8 million tax line for this season, they currently have a tax bill of about $3.2 million. New Orleans can move out of the tax altogether by cutting $2.1 million from their roster in a trade deadline deal.

By sending Ingram and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl to the Pistons, the Pelicans could get a return of Hardaway Jr. and 2024 first-round pick Ron Holland II. Although the Pelicans would likely want Isaiah Stewart or Ausar Thompson, the Pistons are not looking to give up either player right now. While the same could be said about Holland, Detroit would have no reason to keep the youngster if they were to acquire Ingram and look to sign him to a long-term deal in the offseason.

Holland is an athletic 19-year-old forward who has shown flashes of his potential as a transition slasher and wing defender. He is still pretty raw as a prospect, but with the right guidance, he could turn into a two-way menace. Along with Holland, the Pelicans would also receive two second-round picks and a protected first-round pick.

This first-round pick that the Pelicans receive in this Ingram deal would likely protected given the forward’s low value right now. As for one of the second-round picks, New Orleans would receive the least favorable pick of Brooklyn, Dallas, and Detroit in 2027. The Washington Wizards own the rights to receive the more favorable of Brooklyn’s and Dallas’ second-round pick from Detroit in that draft as a result of a prior trade.

Bringing back a handful of draft assets and a rookie like Holland for Ingram is about the best the Pelicans could do ahead of the trade deadline. But, is this a trade that the Pistons and Pelicans would even make?

Why Pistons make this trade

Whether or not the Pistons take Ivey’s injury and their recent success during the first half of the season as an opportunity to become buyers at the trade deadline is a great mystery. On one hand, the Pistons don’t need to do anything drastic, as they own most of their first-round picks and have a handful of second-round picks that could be utilized in future offseason trades to improve their roster.

At the same time, why wait when there is an opportunity for clear improvement right now?

Ingram is a proven All-Star who is an experienced player in this league. What many tend to forget is that he is still only 27 years old in his ninth season, meaning his best years could be right on the horizon. Instead of having to be the top option and do everything for his team’s offense as he has through the year in New Orleans, Ingram could let the game come to him and play off a rising star in Cunningham.

Although Holland and draft assets are a big ask of Detroit, it would make perfect sense to move off the rookie now as the key point of value in a trade for a proven star that plays the same position. Since the Pistons still have Ausar Thompson, Tobias Harris, and Simone Fontecchio, plenty of depth would still exist on the wing and perimeter without Holland and Hardaway Jr. in the rotations.

Of course, the greatest caveat to the Pistons potentially trading for Ingram revolves around the idea of if they would tie themselves down to a new long-term contract. The value for Ingram on a new extension varies among personnel across the league. While he wanted a max deal from the Pelicans, could the Pistons talk him down on price to assure him of a bright future where he can once again rise to an All-Star level in the prime years of his career?

The fit of Ingram next to Cunningham and his relationship with Langdon makes too much sense to bypass at the trade deadline, especially with the New Orleans star seeing his value at an all-time low.

Why Pelicans make this trade

At this point, the Pelicans don’t have many options left. No teams have eagerly been pursuing Ingram, and it does not appear as if there will be a market for the former All-Star leading up to the trade deadline. That means if a team like the Pistons shows interest, the Pelicans should be thrilled to entertain an offer.

With Ingram joining Klutch Sports and the Pelicans looking to take things in a different direction, this relationship has grown apart. Nobody around the league anticipates Ingram being on New Orleans’ roster entering the 2025-26 season. This is why they can either trade him now or see him walk away in free agency for nothing.

Although there is always the possibility of a sign-and-trade, it is hard to imagine any team would want to hard cap themselves on a new, long-term contract for Ingram.

If this trade deadline is about moving Ingram and getting below the tax line from the Pelicans’ point of view, then this is the right trade for them. Hardaway Jr. is a veteran they could potentially flip to a third team, whereas Holland gives the Pelicans another young, two-way wing with potential for growth like Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones.

Speaking of these two players, Murphy and Jones represent the future of this organization. The Pelicans have not entertained trade inquiries regarding either player, and it would take a massive trade package coming to them just to get David Griffin’s attention. By moving Ingram, it becomes clear that Murphy and Jones will be focal points next to Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson instead of them having to compete for minutes and shots with Ingram.

Whether or not this is the right package coming from Detroit is the ultimate question for the Pelicans, as Isaiah Stewart is a big man they have had their eyes on dating back to last season. The Pelicans would obviously prefer a package centered around Stewart and Holland instead of Hardaway Jr., but beggars can’t be choosers.

To move Ingram and get the most value possible, they would need to do a deal on the Pistons’ terms. If they are unable to get a package involving a first-round pick or a young player like Holland from any other team, this is a deal the Pelicans would be wise to take.

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