The New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks are both teams that are looking to compete immediately in their respective conferences. Both teams are solid but are clearly missing a piece in terms of being able to contend.
- New York Knicks Get An Elite Shot Creator And Create A Big 3
- New Orleans Pelicans Get A Well-Fitting Co-Star For Zion Williamson
- Chicago Bulls Acquire A Franchise Centerpiece And Some Assets For The Future
- This Trade Helps The Pelicans And Knicks Win Immediately
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Meanwhile, the Chicago Bulls could end up tearing it down ahead of the trade deadline. The team is currently out of the play-in tournament and only has a 23-26 record.
Perhaps the three teams could come together on a multi-team trade that helps everyone with their goals: the Knicks and Pelicans would improve immediately, while the Bulls would get pieces to build for the future. Our blockbuster trade scenario involves a 3-team framework that sends Brandon Ingram to the Knicks, Zach LaVine to the Pelicans, and RJ Barrett to the Bulls.
New York Knicks Receive: Brandon Ingram, Alex Caruso
New Orleans Pelicans Receive: Zach LaVine, Isaiah Hartenstein
Chicago Bulls Receive: RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Jaxson Hayes, Evan Fournier, 2023 First-Round Pick (NYK), 2024 First-Round Pick (NOP)
This trade could potentially have benefits for all three teams involved, and each team clearly has something to gain from this. Here is why the New York Knicks, New Orleans Pelicans, and Chicago Bulls should make this deal.Â
New York Knicks Get An Elite Shot Creator And Create A Big 3
The New York Knicks already have two All-Star level players in, Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson. Randle has shown to be a highly-skilled offensive power forward, capable of playing bully ball in the interior and also having a solid perimeter game. Jalen Brunson is a great floor general that never gets sped up and can provide some good shot creation. Putting Brandon Ingram next to those two players could take the New York Knicks to the next level as a team and let them compete with the other heavyweights in the Eastern Conference.
Brandon Ingram is a player that helps the New York Knicks improve at the SF position. He provides a little bit of everything: Ingram is a solid passer, a great three-level shot-creator, and has a penchant for showing up in clutch-time situations. Ingram notably had an elite playoff series against the Phoenix Suns last season, and perhaps the Knicks could take a chance on his talent, knowing that he can dominate in the postseason. He is currently averaging 20.4 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 4.6 APG for the New Orleans Pelicans while shooting 40.8% from beyond the arc.Â
Alex Caruso is also included in this deal for the New York Knicks, and he has already been rumored as a target for the team. He is one of the best defensive guards in the league and would definitely provide value, whether he is in the starting lineup or coming off the bench. He is an okay floor spacer as well, shooting 38.7% from the 3PT range, albeit only on 2.2 attempts a game.
Overall, this deal for the New York Knicks would help them get better in the now, as they would be adding a talented star and an experienced veteran. They would have to give up RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish, Isaiah Hartenstein, and a first-round pick in this deal, with Evan Fournier’s contract being the salary filler. That is not a bad price to pay in a consolidation trade for a star-level player like Brandon Ingram, especially since he’s not even in his prime yet at 25 years old.
New Orleans Pelicans Get A Well-Fitting Co-Star For Zion Williamson
The key for the New Orleans Pelicans right now is stemming the tide and snapping their 7-game losing streak. A secondary priority would be getting a solid co-star that fits well with Zion Williamson offensively. Trading for Zach LaVine and Isaiah Hartenstein would address both of those things.
Zach LaVine is obviously one of the best volume producers in the NBA, and he is having an impressive season with the Chicago Bulls, averaging 23.8 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.1 APG. He is a player that has shown he can be a focal point in the past, and he could definitely help the Pelicans win some games until Zion Williamson returns. On top of this, he should be a better fit with Zion Williamson than Brandon Ingram due to his off-ball ability and high-level 3PT shooting. LaVine is on a long-term deal as well, which makes this an appealing deal for the Pelicans since they can build a contender around their duo that will be around for years to come.
One of the Pelicans’ biggest issues this year has been their lack of rim protection. Jonas Valanciunas is a great offensive center, and Larry Nance Jr. is a solid small-ball big man, but neither really is a deterrent at the rim. Getting a veteran like Isaiah Hartenstein would solve that issue. Though he hasn’t played a huge role for the Knicks this year, he has shown to be impactful on the defensive end last season with the Los Angeles Clippers next season. Perhaps he could be a good situational player for the New Orleans Pelicans, being subbed in when the team needs more defense on the floor.
This deal would help the New Orleans Pelicans build a better overall team around Zion Williamson. Though losing Brandon Ingram and his elite midrange game could hurt the team, Zach LaVine would definitely be a great acquisition due to his skill set and scoring prowess. Isaiah Hartenstein would be a good minor addition as well. Losing Jaxson Hayes and a first-round pick would be of no consequence, as the Pelicans have plenty of future picks, and Hayes is a high-potential player that has fallen out of the rotation. Overall, this deal is a solid proposition for the Pelicans.
Chicago Bulls Acquire A Franchise Centerpiece And Some Assets For The Future
The Chicago Bulls are a team that clearly needs to rebuild and look toward the future. They are unlikely to win a championship any time soon with their veteran core, and the goal right now should be getting future assets to improve their chances of competing in a few years. This deal allows them to do just that.Â
As of right now, Zach LaVine is the Chicago Bulls’ most valuable player, and trading him would likely get the Chicago Bulls a huge return. The key player the Bulls would be getting here is RJ Barrett, who is currently averaging 20.3 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 2.8 APG for the Knicks. He is a great two-way wing with some upside and could be a centerpiece for the next iteration of the Chicago Bulls.
Cam Reddish and Jaxson Hayes are players with immense upside, but they haven’t been able to make their mark on the league yet. Perhaps increased playing time on a rebuilding Bulls team can help them grow as players and become solid contributors to a winning team in the future. The draft picks in this scenario will likely be mid-tier or lower-end, but since the Bulls would be getting a high-value RJ Barrett here, the Knicks and Pelicans get away with giving lower-tier picks.
Evan Fournier is obviously the salary filler contract in this deal, but he could end up improving his trade value in the future if he can be productive with the Chicago Bulls. That could be particularly true when Fournier is in the last year of his deal, as he will be on a huge expiring contract that can provide salary relief for other teams.
It remains to be seen if the Chicago Bulls do end up rebuilding. However, some sort of retooling seems inevitable, even if that means building a solid roster around star DeMar DeRozan. This deal would be good for the Bulls no matter if they retool around DeMar DeRozan or rebuild, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
This Trade Helps The Pelicans And Knicks Win Immediately
There is no doubt that this trade could end up being a huge benefit for all three teams involved. The New Orleans Pelicans and the New York Knicks would benefit in particular, as they would both improve to being legitimate threats in their conferences in this scenario. The Chicago Bulls, meanwhile, would get a solid trade package for their star that gives them more young assets and picks, which would let them retool and take a new direction as a team.
It remains to be seen if the Knicks, Pelicans, and Bulls will come together and execute a trade with this framework in the future. This deal could help all three franchises though, and we’ll see what happens in the future.
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