Grade the Trade pitch: Raptors get younger in 3-team deal to land East center

Laying out a 3-team trade

The Atlanta Hawks find themselves with something of a logjam at center. Clint Capela remains under contract as an experienced pick-and-roll partner for Trae Young, while Onyeka Okongwu was drafted as his replacement but remains the backup. Now Larry Nance Jr. has joined the mix to further crowd the room.

At the same time, the Hawks are trying to sort through their perimeter rotation. Dejounte Murray is gone, and the team is ready to fully commit to Jalen Johnson at the 4. They have a wealth of options in the backcourt to mix in around Young, but the only pure small forward on the roster is De'Andre Hunter, a player who has been made available in trade talks.

Looking elsewhere in the NBA, the New Orleans Pelicans are even more win-now than the Hawks but don't have an answer at center. They have been linked to Jakob Poeltl for a long time, but most trade packages involving just the Pelicans and Raptors involve Brandon Ingram returning to Toronto, a move that the Raptors may not want to make.

Here is a different solution for all teams involved, with Jakob Poeltl landing in the Big Easy, Brandon Ingram going to the Big Peach, and two key players moving north of the border to the Big Smoke:

The Pelicans would love to get back a star-level return for Brandon Ingram, but the reality is that such a return is not coming, especially not factoring in the payday Ingram is expecting for his next contract after this season. This gives them a high-end shot-blocker to put on the back line in Poeltl, a backup big to provide dpeth on an expiring deal, and a decent first-round pick. That's perhaps the right level of value they should expect.

The Hawks are a bit more of a question mark; is the talent and production of Ingram enough to commit to him on an expensive new contract to start long-term at the 3? Where do first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher and the newly-acquired Dyson Daniels fit in?

Ultimately, however, this is a relatively low cost for a two-way low-end All-Star wing, and they move on from Hunter and his contract in the process. It also allows the Hawks to compete now instead of waiting for Richacher and Daniels to develop.

Assuming both Atlanta and New Orleans are on board, would Toronto make this trade?