Grade the trade: 3-team stunner would send Brandon Ingram to Rockets, No. 3 pick to Charlotte

The NBA Draft is a few short days away, which means every front office is gearing up for what promises to be a hectic 48 hours. With free agency slated to start less than a week after the draft, the trade machine is fired up on computers across the globe. We can expect plenty of movement in the days to come.

Of the teams involved in trade rumors, few stand out more than the Houston Rockets. Ime Udoka has his team on the verge of contention, and Houston's depth is mostly unrivaled in the Western Conference. So, there's little explicit need for the No. 3 pick in a weak draft. Not when that pick can be used to fuel a major upgrade to the roster.

The Rockets are very much in star-hunting territory, and this is an offseason where stars are definitely available. Armed with the financial flexibility of a young roster, the Rockets can aggregate salaries and operate aggressively if the right needle-mover becomes available.

It won't take long for Houston fans to entertain the concept of New Orleans Pelicans All-Star Brandon Ingram, who is not expected to receive his desired max extension in NOLA. Ingram is 26 years old, at the front end of his prime, and with impressively modern skill set at his disposal. Could he be the missing piece in Houston?

Bleacher Report's Zach Buckely sure seems to think so, and he has quite the audacious proposal to make it happen — one that ropes in the Charlotte Hornets and somehow involves another lottery pick exchanging hands. And not in the direction you might expect.

Here is the full hypothetical trade in all its glory.

3-team trade sends Brandon Ingram to Rockets, Miles Bridges to Pelicans, No. 3 pick to Hornets

This is a loaded trade. Frankly, there are too many moving parts for this to actually happen. There are three-team deals on a fairly regular basis, but we rarely see eight individual assets exchange hands. The involvement of multiple stars (or star-adjacent) players and two lottery picks further complicates the feasibility of this particular package.

But, we are not here to grade feasibility. We are here to grade the performance of each team in this hypothetical swap. Let's just say, some teams did better than others.

Rockets grade: B+

I am not convinced Brandon Ingram is the basket into which Houston should place its eggs, but this is pretty great value for a 26-year-old All-Star with Ingram's physical tools and skill level. This year's No. 3 pick carries less value than your standard No. 3 pick in a stronger draft. Cam Whitmore is a fantastic prospect — far better than his No. 20 billing in last year's draft would indicate — but he's not on Ingram's level.

The Rockets are essentially packaging Whitmore and the No. 3 pick (Reed Sheppard, in the case of this mock trade) with a few bench cogs to acquire a legitimate go-to option on the wing. Ingram adds a new halfcourt playmaking variable to the Rockets' offense, while also offering consistent 3-point shooting and versatile defense.

Ingram had trouble fitting in around the orbital presence of Zion Williamson in New Orleans, and there could be similar concerns about his comfort level working around a playmaking big like Alperen Sengun. All the same, Ingram has plenty of room to expand his game and embrace a more complementary style. He should work effortlessly out of DHO actions with Sengun, while Fred VanVleet makes life easier on all his teammates.

Houston would surround Ingram with length, defensive toughness, and a ton of burgeoning young talent. This is a roster that can grow together under one of the league's best coaches. Solid marks all around.

Pelicans grade: F

Perhaps Ingram's value is muted after a lackluster postseason, but how can New Orleans give up the best player in a deal that involves Cam Whitmore and the No. 3 pick — easily the next-best assets in the trade — and not receive either of them in return?

Both Whitmore and No. 3 are rerouted to Charlotte, for some reason, with Miles Bridges and No. 6 overall landing in NOLA. We don't even need to pretend like the No. 44 pick carries any real value. The Pelicans can buy that pick for cash.

Bridges would join NOLA via sign-and-trade, as a breakup with Charlotte appears inevitable. Even if we side-step the immense off-court concerns with Bridges, who missed an entire season because he was accused of (and plead no-contest to) domestic violence, he's just not that good. The dude can score, but his production felt like empty calories last season as Charlotte plummetted to the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings.

The fit between Bridges, who is decidely a power forward on defense, and Zion (also a power forward on defense) is not great. Bridges shoots enough 3s to get by offensively, but he does a lot of damage driving the lane and finishing off of cuts. He is not exactly the ideal Zion co-star.

The No. 6 pick is a nice consolation prize, but between paying Bridges more than he's worth and not getting Whitmore or No. 3 overall from Houston, this is just a complete fumbling of the bag by the Pelicans' very smart front office. Consider me skeptical.

Hornets grade: A+

The Hornets essentially turn a free agent they won't re-sign into one of the 10 best prospects of the last couple years in Whitmore, while also moving up from No. 6 to No. 3 in this week's draft. How that happens, I am not sure. Bridges simply is not worth that much. If he gets moved in a sign-and-trade, it's probably for expiring contracts and maybe a bad pick or two. Nothing remotely close to this.

If Charlotte's new front office can pull this off, I will be quite confident in the Hornets' ability to turn this sinking ship around. This would qualify as one of the more blatant heist jobs in recent NBA history.