NBA Trade Rumors: Brandon Ingram Has New Suitor as Deadline Approaches

The trade market for the New Orleans Pelicans' Brandon Ingram had been awfully slow the past few months. But sometimes, all it takes is one injury to change the course of things. And we're not talking about Ingram's ankle sprain.

The Atlanta Hawks suffered a devastating season-ending injury to rising star Jalen Johnson this week, and that has changed the calculus of things. The Hawks now have interest in Ingram, per NBA Insider Brian Windhorst.

"Specifically, keep an eye on the Atlanta Hawks," Windhorst said on Friday. "They just lost their star wing Jalen Johnson for the season, they may start to get interested in making a move, especially for Brandon Ingram. Keep an eye on that."

The real problem, however, is that Ingram hasn't played since Dec. 7th due to that high-ankle sprain, and there's no word on when he might return, though he's well past the six-week projected timeline.

Ingram becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, and his demands for a max extension last summer were met with crickets from the Pelicans front office, so they need to recoup something for him now while they can.

The Hawks would like to keep their playoff hopes alive, as a seven-game losing streak has left them reeling, in 9th spot in the Eastern Conference standings, just one game up on the Philadelphia 76ers in 11th. Will they take a chance on a hopefully-soon-to-be healthy Ingram?