The New Orleans Pelicans are ‘gaining traction‘ on a trade surrounding Brandon Ingram, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer on X. They've been engaged in talks involving the Atlanta Hawks and the Toronto Raptors. Funny enough, on Tuesday, Jeff Teague mentioned that the Hawks should trade for Brandon Ingram.

Now, with Thursday's deadline approaching, it could happen sooner rather than later. After all, the Pelicans would be in the luxury tax if they were to keep Ingram for the rest of the season. He has 1 more year remaining on his contract and could be the piece.

The Hawks would want to pair Ingram with Young and give him that second star. On the flip side, the Raptors are a rebuilding team but have some nice players. Someone like Scottie Barnes has been Toronto's No. 1 option for quite a while. Ingram would be an established scorer and someone to lift the Raptors into legitimacy.

However, the Raptors' pursuit of Ingram has become murky, thus opening the door for the Hawks. They have the players and draft capital to make a move possible. Plus, a duo of Ingram and Young would give the latter his first All-Star forward.

The Pelicans could trade Brandon Ingram to the Hawks, Raptors

Both teams make a compelling case, but there's more of a reason for the Hawks to trade for Ingram than the Raptors. Starting with Atlanta, they are in a win-now mode. With head coach Quin Snyder, he understands coaching a superstar or superstars. He coached Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert when they were on the Utah Jazz.

Now, he's coaching Young and could be coaching Ingram. The Hawks have a Top 10 offense in terms of points per game. Now, that can be expanded if they land Ingram.

For Toronto, they have a 16-34 record and aren't looking like a playoff contender anytime soon. However, Ingram can be the No. 1 option like he was on the Pelicans. Still, the Raptors don't have the assets, outside of Barnes, to hoist them into playoff or even play-in contention.

At the end of the day, anything can happen surrounding the NBA trade deadline. The Pelicans would want to avoid the luxury tax, but make sure to receive some compensation for Ingram. Either way, this season might be a wash for New Orleans, and Ingram could be the first domino to fall.