A 3-team Trade for Pelicans to Move Brandon Ingram, Nets to Deal Cameron Johnson

The Jazz just renegotiated and extended Markkanen to a total of $238 million over five seasons. Due to a six-month trade restriction, Markkanen cannot be dealt this season.

Utah’s focus may be more on development and the 2025 draft, with the potential of landing a player like Duke’s Cooper Flagg. The Jazz owe their own first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder with top-10 protection.

The cost for Ingram is a first-round pick. Still, it’s the higher selection from the Cavaliers (No. 20 in 2024) and Timberwolves (No. 27)—assuming both finish the 2024-25 campaign with similar results, the Jazz would give up No. 20 and a young center in Kessler.

Per multiple sources, Utah has discussed Kessler previously in trade, including a stalled conversation with the New York Knicks. He doesn’t seem part of the team’s long-term plan, and the Jazz get a replacement in Sharpe from the Nets.

Sharpe, who played 15.1 minutes last season backing up Nic Claxton in Brooklyn, is extension-eligible until the start of the summer or will be restricted in 2025. Getting him on an economic contract before the season is a potential bonus in the deal for the Jazz.

The working assumption is that Utah and Ingram agree to an extension (immediately or after six months for a longer deal). The Jazz also give up Brice Sensabaugh, the No. 28 pick in 2023, but they may have too many young players to develop all at once—also why letting go of one of their three picks in 2025 for Ingram makes sense.

Adding Ingram could endanger the Jazz’s “tank” position, and the team may prefer to do this deal closer to the trade deadline after the race to the bottom has been more readily secured. But waiting generates its own risk; Markkanen and Ingram may not mind taking a mulligan 2024-25 season if they’re both locked in on long-term contracts.