Who could be moved in a 3-team deal involving the Kings, Pelicans, and Hawks?
Dejounte Murray is set to begin his four-year, $114 million extension he signed with the franchise when Atlanta traded for him, acquiring him from the San Antonio Spurs. The Hawks have financial decisions to make on Clint Capela (one-year, $22 million), Bogdan Bogdanovic (three-year, $49.3 million remaining), and several other players, including Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. Atlanta is paying seven players more than $10 million, with an eighth incoming after a Jalen Johnson extension.
In New Orleans, rumors have begun to circle about the future of Brandon Ingram with the Pelicans. With just one season left on his contract, valued at $36 million, Ingram is seeking a long term contract extension. The uncertainty lies in where that contract extension will be taking place. New Orleans feels confident about building around Zion Williamson, who played a career-high 70 games last season, regaining his previous form in the process.
New Orleans is also unlikely to bring back Jonas Valanciunas, who is set to enter free agency. The Pelicans are hoping to build their roster fully around Zion Williamson, providing the necessary spacing and shooting around their franchise player to succeed. With Ingram potentially on the moved, his market will be arguably the largest of any high-level All-Star this offseason.
The Pelicans trading Brandon Ingram is considered inevitable, per @TheSteinLine
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 13, 2024
“League sources say that Ingram's exit is increasingly viewed by various league observers as an inevitability rather than possibility…A handful of Eastern Conference teams (Philadelphia, Cleveland,… pic.twitter.com/GhdABfcIiT
Transitioning to Sacramento, they have the least amount of flexibility among these three teams but arguably have the most holes to fill on their roster. However, Sacramento lacks the needed cap space to make any serious noise in free agency and will struggle to retain its free agents because of the lack of financial flexibility available. Sacramento may have to commit to going 'all-in' this offseason if they want to become a true contender in the Western Conference in 2024–25 and beyond.
While the Kings have team options on Davion Mitchell and Chris Duarte to decide on, the franchise's biggest priority will be re-signing Malik Monk, who the Kings desperately needed for their playoff push after Monk's season-ending injury. After missing the last month plus of the season, the impact of no Monk was felt instantly, with Domantas Sabonis, De'Aaron Fox, and Keegan Murray carrying an even larger load of the offense.
With each of these teams looking to make the necessary changes to their roster, each franchise will likely be among the league's most active in the trade market. However, that doesn't mean these three teams can't work together to solve their biggest needs. Next, we analyze a potential three-team trade that may benefit each team heading into next season.