On the surface, the New Orleans Pelicans and Utah Jazz do not seem like natural trade partners. Utah is firmly in the midst of a rebuild and finished last season as the fourth-worst team in the conference. New Orleans is trying to build a sustainable playoff contender around Zion Williamson. Yet, both teams have something that the other should be interested in.

For Utah, the goal should be respectability. Lauri Markkanen blossoming into an All-Star forward who any team would be lucky to have is an excellent step in that direction. Ditto Keyonte George, who quietly had a encouraging rookie season for the Utah Jazz. He’s a 6’4 point guard who averaged 13 points and 4.4 assists on 39/33/85 shooting splits while taking six three-pointers a game. Amid a season with plenty of upheaval and little to play for, his playmaking chops provide optimism that he can be the point guard of the future. However, there’s much more uncertainity with the rest of the roster. At some point, Utah has to create some semblance of a stable basketball environment to allow their young talent to flourish.

Furthermore, recent reporting indicates that the Jazz are interested in keeping Markkanen rather than shipping him out for more picks. Per NBA insider Marc Stein, part of that is because they have not gotten the return they want for Lauri:

“Golden State, to date, has pursued Markkanen without including Brandin Podziemski orJonathan Kuminga in trade packages laden with future draft compensation. Obviously no team, to this point, has met Danny Ainge‘s asking price.”

If Stein’s comments today are true, then the Jazz have no incentive to trade Markkanen for what they view as an inadequate package. Markkanen certainly is not forcing his way out of Utah – he’s doing the opposite. Tony Jones of the Athletic, who covers the Jazz, had this to say about Markkanen’s desire to remain in Utah during a radio interview with ESPN 700 today:

“Lauri has really taken to Utah. His family has taken to Utah. Obviously the Jazz can trade him between now and August 6, and Lauri knows that, but Lauri has forged a really close relationship to (coach) Will Hardy. And Will has really found a way to unlock his career.”

If the Jazz keep Markkanen, they need to improve their roster in order to actually compete in the West. Currently, they are short on capable defenders (worst defensive rating in the NBA) and turns the ball over regularly. To fix some of their ball-handing issues outside of George and strengthen their shooting (20th in three-point percentage), they should consider a trade for Brandon Ingram.

Ingram’s desire for a $200+ million dollar contract and New Orleans’ reluctance to give it to him have been a subplot of the entire offseason. The Pelicans have a problem on their hands – Ingram is a good player, but they cannot afford to give him that deal with an extension for Trey Murphy III looming on the horizon. The best thing they can do is trade him now and re-fit their team around Zion Williamson. However, that means significant changes are in store for their rotation.

The Hawks can benefit from those changes. Although their defensive rating was not as bad as the Jazz, Atlanta still had a bottom-five defensive rating in 2023-24. They need capable defenders and could stand to add more three-point shooting, finishing 16th in three-point percentage despite taking the sixth-most attempts from deep.

Given the Pelicans’ need to resolve the Ingram situation, the Jazz’s need to add more talent and Atlanta’s need to add more defense, a three-team deal could make some sense. What would the deal look like?

It should be noted that this is just a speculative and fun exercise to see what kind of moves can be made, not what I think the Hawks should do or will do. That is all.

Here is the trade.

Hawks get: Jose Alvarado, Johnny Juzang

Pelicans get: John Collins, Collin Sexton, Jordan Clarkson, Garrison Mathews, 2025 2nd round pick (via Atlanta), 2027 first-round pick (via Minnesota/Utah, top-10 protected by Utah)

Jazz get: Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Cody Zeller

Why the Hawks would do this trade: After playing his college basketball at Georgia Tech, Jose Alvarado returns to Atlanta as a backup guard who can provide the point-of-attack defense the team has lacked for years. He is only 6’1, but finished with an impressive steal percentage of 2.8% and a three-point percentage of 37.7% on four attempts a game. He’s a solid passer, but fortunately will not have to be much of a playmaker in Atlanta. Trae Young and Jalen Johnson should be able to take on the majority of those responsibilities. As a backup two-way guard who can set the tone on defense, Alvarado is a great piece for this roster and provides insurance for a Kobe Bufkin injury. Juzang’s potential as a shooter mitigates the loss of Mathews in this deal. In the 20 games he played with Utah last season, however, he shot an impressive 41.6 percent from three-point range on four attempts a game. It’s a very small sample size, but it could indicate real upside as a shooter with size. Juzang needs to develop as a defender – time in College Park could help him learn how to utilize his 6’7 frame and take on wing defensive assignments. Atlanta would also send out a fourth-string center in Zeller, giving them more flexibility under the salary restrictions of the new CBA.

Why the Hawks would not do this trade: Taking on another small guard and finding minutes for him while also developing Bufkin could be a challenge Atlanta shies away from. Alvarado had his struggles in the first round of the 2024 playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder, so there is a chance that he is unable to stay on the court during post-season basketball. However, the Hawks should not be worried about that. Alvarado can definitely help them in the regular season as they make a push towards the playoffs. From a financial and roster perspective, taking on Alvarado and Juzang is a good mix of meeting roster needs and searching for upside.

Why the Pelicans would do this trade: If they completed this deal, the best starting five for New Orleans would likely be Dejounte Murray – Trey Murphy III – Herb Jones – Zion Williamson – John Collins. Sexton and Clarkson slot in as competent bench pieces that can provide offense. At 6’9, Collins is undersized as a center, but can take advantage of the increased attention on Williamson, Murray and Murphy. He quietly had a great season down the stretch for Utah, finishing the year with averages of 15.1 points and 8.5 rebounds on 53/37/79 shooting splits. Going from a non-shooter in Jonas Valanciunas to a legitimate threat from deep in Collins could unlock a new gear for a Pelicans offense that faltered in the post-season. Sexton was even better as a shooter, hitting 39% of his attempts from deep on five attempts a night. He hustles on defense and has grown into a solid two-way player. Murphy and Jones are already great defenders, so Sexton can be more of a complementary part of the perimeter defense as opposed to a primary defensive option. He can play with Murray as the off-ball guard and should be able to scale down into a reduced role with New Orleans. Last season, Clarkson became one of the Jazz’s go-to options down the stretch and that hurt his overall efficiency numbers. He likely would not be relied upon to shoulder the same burden in New Orleans and can return to more of the effective sixth-man role he’s occupied for much of his career. Mathews is a solid bench shooter who improves the back part of the Pelicans’ rotation. In short, this deal would allow the Pelicans to weather a Zion injury, reduce their dependence on imediate contributions from rookie center Yves Missi and cement themselves as a top-six seed in the West.

Why the Pelicans would not do this trade: Collins played well last year for Utah, but one could argue that his numbers were symptomatic of having more responsibilities and touches. The lack of a real seven-foot center in the lineup also makes the Pelicans very small, which could be a problem against teams like the Thunder and Nuggets. Furthermore, Clarkson’s struggles last year might be indicative of a decline. He shot a career-worst 29.4% from three-point range and recorded 2.7 turnovers per game, which was part of the Jazz’s proclivity for turnovers last season. If his shooting continues to decline, this would be a significant blow to the Pelicans’ rotation.

Why the Jazz would do this trade: Ingram and Markkanen would be one of the best wing duos in the league. Overtaxed as a primary option, the Jazz could run their offense through George and Markkanen while keeping Ingram as a third/fourth playmaker who can space the floor. He recorded 5.7 assists to 2.5 turnovers, executing complex skip passes and find corner shooters with ease. Last season, Ingram posted 20.8 points, 5.7 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 1.4 stocks on 49.2/35.5/80.1 shooting splits and a true shooting percentage of 57.8% in 2023-24. If he ups his three-point volume, those splits could improve to a 38-40% percentage from deep. McCollum is still an effective player and could thrive in Utah as a volume scorer who can take on some playmaking duties. They also open up more minutes for Walker Kessler, who did not fit with Collins during last season.

Why the Jazz would not do this trade: They need to figure out what they have in Taylor Hendricks, who they drafted with the ninth overall pick in 2023-24. Hendricks played in 40 games for the Jazz last year, mostly developing in the G League. It would require some experimentation to get him the minutes needed alongside Ingram and Markkanen. There’s also the question of what the price of an Ingram extension would be and if the Jazz would want to give him the deal he is looking for.

Ultimately, I think this is a deal that has some chance of going down. The longer this situation drags on, the more both teams will feel pressure to get something done. New Orleans could hold onto Ingram for the season and let him walk, but they would lose him for nothing. If Utah keeps Markkanen, they will need another move in order to make any sort of noise in the West. Keeping Lauri and then doing nothing would ultimately be pointless as his value is currently at its zenith.