The Los Angeles Lakers are rumored to make a big move this offseason and an NBA executive suggests they should reunite with a former player. An Eastern Conference GM told Heavy that the Lakers should trade for Brandon Ingram.
“It’s an idea, if they’re willing to take the chance,” the GM said. “Brandon as a third option with LeBron and Anthony Davis, it certainly makes them better, it gets them back to being a contender, or at least in that orbit.”
I do agree that Ingram makes the Lakers a better team, but I don’t necessarily believe he is a great fit. The 26-year-old averaged 20.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 steals, and 0.6 blocks per game in 2023-24 for the New Orleans Pelicans while shooting 49.2% from the field and 35.5% from beyond the arc.
Those are some pretty solid numbers, but I believe an ideal fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis is someone who can shoot better than that. Ingram converted on just 36.9% of his catch-and-shoot threes this season as well, which isn’t ideal.
The one-time All-Star has also attempted just 3.9 threes per game over the last three seasons. Ingram prefers that mid-range shot and for good reason, as he is great at it. That’s not the kind of player you’d want next to James and Davis, though.
I also believe that while Ingram can play off the ball, he is very much at his best with the ball in his hands. Another issue with him is health. Ingram has only ever played 65 or more games in a season once in his career, back in his rookie season. The last thing that the Lakers need next to LeBron and Davis is someone who will miss time.
The two superstars stayed healthy this season, but there is no guarantee that’ll be the case in 2024-25 as well. For all those reasons, I think the Lakers should avoid a reunion with Ingram, whom they traded to the Pelicans as part of the package for Davis in 2019.
The Pelicans Will Reportedly Try To Trade Brandon Ingram
Whether the Lakers attempt to trade for Ingram or not, he does seem to be on his way out of New Orleans. NBA insider Marc Stein reported that the Pelicans are expected to try to trade away their star forward.
“A growing belief leaguewide that Pelicans will aggressively explore the trade market for Brandon Ingram before next season,” Stein wrote.
It had been reported previously that the Pelicans would have to choose between Ingram and Zion Williamson this offseason. It appears they have decided Williamson is the one they want to keep.
Ingram, who signed a five-year, $158 million deal in 2020, could hit free agency next year. He is eligible to get an extension worth about $200 million this summer and the Pelicans do not seem interested in giving it to him, so a trade makes sense.
Stein also reported that Eastern Conference teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Cleveland Cavaliers, Atlanta Hawks, and Orlando Magic have been mentioned as suitors for Ingram. So, if the Lakers do try to trade for him, they can expect a fair bit of competition.
If this is indeed the end, I have to say I would look back at Ingram’s time with the Pelicans as a bit of a disappointment. He was an All-Star in his first season in New Orleans but never quite built on from that, for one reason or another.
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