The NBA trade deadline is approaching rapidly, and the Hawks are at the center of many conversations. Several reports have suggested Atlanta is hoping to move both Clint Capela and Bogdan Bogdanovic, but they’re not just looking to sell. Landry Fields is buying as well, with Brandon Ingram emerging as a target.
“Keep an eye on the Atlanta Hawks. They just lost their star wing Jalen Johnson for the season. They may start to get interested in making a move, especially for Brandon Ingram,” Brian Windhorst of ESPN said on Get Up Friday morning.
Without Jalen Johnson, the Hawks don’t have a chance of doing anything worthwhile this season. Trae Young can only shoulder so much of the load, which is evident in the club’s seven-game losing streak. A player like Ingram could help alleviate some of that.
Ingram has averaged 22.2 points, 5.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 18 games this season, but he has been out since Dec. 7 after suffering an ankle sprain. The 27-year-old Ingram has been a name that has been on the trade market for years.
Now, he’s an impending free agent after the Pels and him were unable to come to terms on a contract extension. New Orleans sits well below .500 and is in dire need of the 2025-26 campaign. They’ve been struck by the injury bug about as bad as any team in recent memory.
When healthy, Ingram is quite productive, averaging 23.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game for New Orleans since 2019. But are the Hawks going to send assets to the Pelicans for a rental of Ingram to maybe win one playoff series? The price would have to be minimal, which could be the case given he’s a pending free agent and his current injury designation.
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Photographer: Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire
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