Trade could be contingent on whether or not Pelicans can find a taker for Brandon Ingram
One of the reasons Detroit Pistons president has conserved $14 million in cap space is to facilitate deals with teams looking to dodge the NBA’s luxury tax and cap penalties. It looks like he might have a deal lined up with his former franchise which would allow them to fall below the tax line, but that deal would only happen if the franchise is unable to find a new home for star wing Brandon Ingram.
That report comes from John Gambadoro, via Evan Sidery . Gambadoro, or Gambo as he is known, is a plugged in reporter in Phoenix. Gambo, as he is known, mentioned the allegedly in-place agreement in the context of the wider market for Brandon Ingram.
Ingram, to be clear, would not be coming to Detroit. It would be smaller deal if the Pelicans can’t move Ingram to another team ahead of the deadline. The Pelicans are only $1.4 million above the tax so it is also not like Detroit would be prevented from making other moves ahead of the NBA trade deadline waiting to see if this one is going to go through.
What could a deal look like? You can certainly cross off plenty of names because they would not appeal to Detroit, to New Orleans, or both. I would put Ingram, Zion Williamson, Dejounte Murray, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy, and Yves Missi into that category.
That leaves plenty of names, including some that Langdon is probably very familiar with, considering his years spent with the Pelicans. The biggest name would be CJ McCollum. He would not be a simple deal because his deal stretches beyond this season for a hefty $30 million. That would be a big price to pay but would resolve some of Detroit’s persistent issues with scoring and ball-handling when Cade Cunningham goes to the bench.
His deal only goes through next season, same as Tobias Harris and Simone Fontecchio, both players signed to new deals under Langdon, and I imagine, that’s where his appetite for taking on significant money for non-core players ends.
Smaller deals are more likely, and there are plenty you can build to get New Orleans below the luxury tax in exchange for some minor assets. You could take a flyer on Jordan Hawkins, who came into the league with a rep as a shooter and has never put it all together.
You could add a little size, depth, and shooting to the frontcourt by adding stretch big Jeremiah Robinson-Earl. The Pistons could grab Jose Alvarado who is having a down season and a luxury the Pelicans don’t really need as they bottom out their season. Alvarado would immediate step in as a defensive-minded point guard who can hit some threes.
Other players who would also technically get the Pelicans below the tax line include Daniel Theis, Javonte Green, and Karlo Matkovic.
Of any potential Pelicans deal, which player would you hope the Pistons are able to add? An inconsequential one for a few second-round picks or someone who could actually play significant minutes (like Alvarado or McCollum), and what would those deals look like?