Trade Proposal Sends Brandon Ingram To Jazz, Cameron Johnson, Walker Kessler To Pelicans, John Collins To Nets

One NBA analyst proposed a three-team trade idea between the Utah Jazz, New Orleans Pelicans and Brooklyn Nets. 

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report proposed the following mock trade between the Jazz, Pelicans and Nets:

Jazz get: Brandon Ingram, Day’Ron Sharpe

Pelicans get: Cameron Johnson, Walker Kessler, $13.5 million trade exception

Nets get: John Collins, Brice Sensabaugh, 2025 first-rounder, higher from the Cleveland Cavaliers or Minnesota Timberwolves (via Jazz)

Ingram averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.6 blocks in 2023-24 for the Pelicans while shooting 49.2% from the field, 35.5% from beyond the arc and 80.1% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $36 million next season in the final year of his contract. 

“Adding Ingram could endanger the Jazz’s ‘tank’ position, and the team may prefer to do this deal closer to the trade deadline after the race to the bottom has been more readily secured,” Pincus wrote in his NBA trade proposal. “But waiting generates its own risk; Lauri Markkanen and Ingram may not mind taking a mulligan 2024-25 season if they’re both locked in on long-term contracts.”

Johnson averaged 13.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.3 blocks for the Nets last season while shooting 44.6% from the field, 39.1% from beyond the arc and 78.9% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $23.6 million next season.

Kessler averaged 8.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.5 steals and 2.4 blocks for the Jazz last season while shooting 65.4% from the field, 21.1% from beyond the arc and 60.2% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $2.9 million next season. 

“Johnson (39.2 percent from three over his career) provides the Pelicans with needed shooting on the wing,” Pincus wrote in his NBA trade proposal. “New Orleans also adds a young economic center in Kessler to help replace the departed Jonas Valančiūnas, who was sent via a sign-and-trade to the Washington Wizards in July. Kessler will earn $7.9 million over the next two seasons.”

Collins averaged 15.1 points, 8.5 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 0.6 assists and 0.9 blocks for the Jazz last season while shooting 53.2% from the field, 37.1% from beyond the arc and 79.5% from the free-throw line. He’ll make $26.6 million next season. 

“Collins can fill a need as a power forward next to Nic Claxton, as he’s younger (almost 27) and taller (6’9″) than Johnson,” Pincus wrote in his NBA trade proposal. “But as the Nets rebuild, Collins may just be an intermediate step with a shorter contract. He may earn more than Johnson over the next two seasons (with a player option for 2025-26), but Collins’ deal is shorter and could be a valuable expiring contract next summer.”