The New Orleans Pelicans are years away from contention — so the front office shipping Brandon Ingram to Toronto for Bruce Brown, Kelly Olynyk and draft capital at the deadline wasn't much shock to anyone around the league.
According to reporting from Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, there was an alternate path New Orleans could have taken at the deadline, a path that would have landed them RJ Barrett in the Brandon Ingram trade instead, and teamed Zion Williamson back up with his former Duke teammate in NOLA.
On its face, I understand this move. The Pels wanted to get Ingram's salary off the books, and replacing it with RJ Barrett's wouldn't have felt like much of a positive move — Barrett has two years left on his deal after this season.
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But the Pelicans not having to pay Brandon Ingram doesn't help them become a better team. If the Pels are going to move forward with Zion as their star player, which it looks like they will do (they don't have many other choices) then is clearing out cap room really the most beneficial move?
If the first-round pick New Orleans got was off the table if they chose to take Barrett instead, then yes — this was still the right move. But sometimes, NBA acquisitions are as simple as getting a good player if you're able to get a good player, and Barrett is currently the best player he's ever been.
But it's not hard to imagine a world where, a year from now, Brandon Ingram is playing well in Canada, while the Pels have... just some cap space. I know being stuck in "purgatory" as they say is not a pleasant fate in the NBA, but neither is being in whatever the Pelicans are in right now.