After another early exit in the postseason, the New Orleans Pelicans look to be the team headed toward blockbuster trades this offseason. If the Cleveland Cavaliers are ready to take the next all-in leap toward the NBA Finals, they may be the perfect suitor for the Pels.
Since building toward a Western contender around Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, New Orleans has continually inflated their salary costs. They gave CJ McCollum a long-term deal that is quickly becoming one of the league's worst contracts. While they have exciting young talent in Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, the rest of the Pelicans' composition has created more questions than answers.
For all of their potential, the Pelicans disappoint in the postseason year after year. Williamson has yet to be healthy by the time the playoffs appear, leaving Ingram and McCollum to lead the way without the intended franchise cornerstone. With so many things going wrong for a team with a projected salary total over $200 million next season, the writing seems to be on the wall that something must change in NOLA before things get
Why the Cleveland Cavaliers and Pelicans should be trade partners
After a seven-game series victory against the Orlando Magic, the Cavaliers have advanced past the first round of the playoffs for the first time without LeBron James since 1993. With Donovan Mitchell leading the charge, the Cavs will be at a crossroads this summer in their attempts to sign Mitchell to a long-term extension. Mitchell has made his focus clear, and winning one round before being eliminated is not enough for the superstar guard.
For all the talent that Cleveland has in their young core and supporting cast, the playoffs are the true test of any team's resolve. Thus far, the Cavaliers have shown they can battle to stay competitive, but they are far from becoming a favorite to win the Finals or even make an appearance. Adding another All-Star at Mitchell's side would elevate the Cavs to a new status in the Eastern Conference, and with their lack of draft assets in hand, turning around to rebuild is no longer an option.
The Pelicans are in a similar spot, looking to retool but stay in the mix for deep postseason runs. They cannot fix their expensive roster overnight or in one offseason, and they still have reason to be committed to the potential that Williamson offers. The two aspiring contenders have every reason to make drastic upgrades this summer, and they might find one another to be a perfect candidate for those moves.
Breaking down the details
The Pelicans are reaching the breaking point for Ingram and Williamson. The fit between the two star forwards has never materialized since they joined forces, and the Pelicans have already shown interest in one of Cleveland's stars for a while.
This postseason, the Pelicans were eliminated in the first round and one of the only franchises to be swept in four games. Falling short at the hands of the Oklahoma City Thunder, fans wasted no time building mock trades for the Pelicans to break up their star duo. Fanspo's Twitter (X) account posted a wild three-team proposal that landed the Cavaliers NOLA's Ingram.
For the past two seasons, the Pelicans have tried to lure the Cavaliers into trading All-Star center Jarrett Allen. New Orleans wanted to replace Jonas Valanciunas for Allen to bring a better interior defender to the starting frontcourt with Zion. Cleveland seemed disinterested in Jonas, declining the offers. The Cavs have continually refused, but this summer might change their view if Ingram is involved.
For the Pelicans, they finally land their long-awaited answer at center, allowing them to move on from Valanciunas and reset their defensive identity. Valanciunas will enter unrestricted free agency this summer. If the Pels swap Ingram's $36 million salary for Allen's $20 million and let Valanciunas walk for free in the offseason, they creep closer to escaping their current salary dilemma while improving their defense and overall team composition.
With both Jones and Murphy turning into two of the league's more exciting young wings, the Pelicans would be in position to start both players rather than halting one's development on the bench behind Ingram. Allen would easily negate many of Zion's defensive liabilities as a 6-foot 6-inches power forward who can often get lost on defense with his slower pace. Allen can also fit well alongside McCollum with his elite ability to finish lobs.
NOLA also adds a talented young point guard to serve as McCollum's successor in time in Anfernee Simons. Simons is still developing, but he has shown flashes of a future star and wildly talented lead guard for a competitive team. By the time McCollum hits free agency again in 2026, Simons will likely be ready to take control of the offense, if not earlier.
For the Portland Trail Blazers, they begin to solve their log jam in the backcourt, adding a proven defensive stud in Isaac Okoro to help them improve their currently poor defense. Lidell would rarely get minutes on the court, making Okoro the central piece for the Trail Blazers. Plenty of teams will try to steal Okoro from Cleveland in restricted free agency this summer, and Portland would be more than happy to add his production. If they believe they must make a choice among their current point guards, Okoro solves that question and adds a defensive identity missing from the team.
Do the Cavaliers say yes to this deal?
Would the Cavaliers say yes?
While this trade brings another former All-Star to the team and adds size to their forward rotation, they lose two of their best defenders and create a new problem with a hole in their frontcourt. While Ingram has the size to play the four spot at times, he is not capable of playing in the frontcourt full-time. This would mean that Max Strus moves to the bench with Ingram sliding into the small forward starting spot. Now, the Cavaliers must add another center or power forward and put Evan Mobley next to them.
Assuming Cleveland stays active in free agency, they could realistically find another frontcourt starter with their Mid-Level Exception once this trade is completed. They may also hand the role to Dean Wade after his stellar performance during Cleveland's mid-season run last December and January. If they can fill the hole in the frontcourt, they would have to feel confident that Strus and Caris LeVert can fill the point-of-attack defensive void losing Okoro creates for the second unit.
Still, Ingram is undeniably a better offensive force than either Okoro or Allen. For as much talent as those two display, the Cavaliers did not trade for Mitchell to have a fun team that has might reach their potential through in-house development. Neither Okoro nor Allen should be considered untouchable by Cleveland this offseason.
In order to keep Mitchell around and improve the team, the Cavs must seriously consider trading Darius Garland, Evan Mobley or Jarrett Allen. With NOLA's interest in Allen, he is the most realistic path to adding a star the level of Ingram.
In total, the decision for the Cavaliers in this deal comes down to their faith in Ingram as the answer to becoming a true contender. They would not have an out or way to reverse the trade if things go sour with a core of Mitchell, Ingram, Garland and Mobley. The Cavs do not control their own draft luck, and this trade would invest the vast majority of their cap space into these four players, especially once Mobley receives his coming contract extension.
Is Brandon Ingram the right player for Cleveland to go all-in for?
At only 26 years old, Brandon Ingram is not a finished product. He would still have ways to develop and grow, but he would not likely show any major alterations to his game in the next few seasons. He would, however, be playing with the best backcourt of his career and a bonafide superstar in Donovan. This could easily elevate Ingram's game if he can impact winning for Cleveland on both ends of the court. He and Mitchell are on the same general timeline for growth, meaning they would be paired together during both of their prime seasons.
Last season, Ingram's averages dipped a bit, notching 20.8 points per game after averaging 24.7 the season prior. This was likely caused by Zion, as the former Duke star played the majority of the regular season for the first time in his career. Ingram's usage and role was slightly diminished, explaining the small dip.
Without Williamson most nights, Ingram has not had a chance to play on a contending team, but it has also allowed him to learn how to take on a larger role and face a greater challenge suddenly. Ingram would give Mitchell some breathing room on offense, no longer searching for another contributor without any guarantees of finding one.
Still, Ingram is not an NBA superstar. He has only earned one All-Star appearance and has no real playoff success to celebrate. Considering the Cavs' assets available for trade, though, Ingram is a substantial offensive upgrade from Allen or Okoro. Unless the Cavaliers are willing to part ways with Garland or Mobley, they are unlikely to land an All-NBA star to pair with Mitchell any time soon.
This trade is not perfect. No team involved answers all of their questions with this deal, but all three take a step in the right direction. Portland stays young and adds a defensive stopper. The Pelicans finally get the center they have wanted and begin fixing their salary problems. The Cavaliers move toward contention and bring in an exciting and dynamic athlete to put alongside Mitchell for the next era of Cleveland ball.
With Ingram's age, offensive talent and flexibility in filling his role, he might be the answer the Cavaliers need to make a strong case to win the East next season. There are still problems Cleveland would have to address, but nonetheless Ingram is undoubtedly a major step forward for a franchise looking to build around a superstar in Donovan Mitchell for the foreseeable future.