NBA insider on the Hawks attempt to acquire Brandon Ingram from Pelicans

Prior to the NBA offseason, everyone expected the Atlanta Hawks to trade one of their star point guards. The question was, who?

We now know the answer to that, as just a few days following the draft, Landry Fields parted ways with Dejounte Murray after just two seasons with the team, sending him to the New Orleans Pelicans for two first round picks, Dyson Daniels, Larry Nance Jr., and E.J. Liddell.

All things considered for the Hawks, it was a pretty good package of young players and picks for a player who just didn’t work out in Atlanta next to Trae Young. However, a lot of Hawks fans are wondering why Landry Fields didn’t attempt something bigger with New Orleans, like a swap of All-Stars.

Everyone expects the Pelicans to trade Brandon Ingram before the start of the season as he enters the final year of his contract, and the idea of a Murray for Ingram swap was floated by several outlets prior to the trade. However, according to NBA insider for ESPN Brian Windhorst, the Hawks never showed any interest in Ingram during trade negotiations.

“The Hawks weren’t interested in taking Brandon Ingram,” Windhorst said on The Hoop Collective Podcast when asked why he wasn’t included in the trade for Dejounte Murray. 

Atlanta Hawks fans hoping to compete as soon as next season probably don’t love hearing that. There’s no question they would have had a much better chance of doing so with an All-Star that can go out and average 23 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists than with Dyson Daniels and Larry Nance Jr. However, the Hawks opted to go the safer route that emphasized the club’s future.

Dyson Daniels is a very nice fit next to Trae Young because of his defense and still has some potential to develop on the offensive end. The two first-round picks are also extremely important considering the Hawks don’t own their first round pick in 2025 or 2027, so recouping some picks in those years was necessary.

There’s also the issue of Brandon Ingram’s contract. He’s a free agent at the end of the year, and the expectation is for him to demand a max, which will pay him north of $50 million per season. Perhaps he ends up being worth that over the course of his next deal, but whoever gives him that contract will be taking a considerable gamble.

In the end, the Hawks didn’t want to be that team, and who can blame them after what they just went through with Dejounte Murray?

Atlanta’s not one Brandon Ingram away from competing for championships. They realized that and decided to go in a different direction, one that’s more focused on rebuilding the entire core of the organization.

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Photographer: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire