Who says no to the basic structure of this deal:
- Pelicans get C.J. McCollum and Robert Covington
- Blazers get Brandon Ingram and sign-and-trade Josh Hart
The Pelicans want to win now. McCollum and Covington are players in their primes (-ish for Covington). McCollum helps further space the floor for Zion. Covington is a guy you can win playoff games with.
The Blazers need to shake things up. Brandon Ingram is really talented. I'm not sure he makes the team better, but the Blazers have very little wiggle room and need to make changes. Hart would be a reasonably good fit next to Lillard and insurance in case Norm Powell bolts.