The partnership between LeBron James and Brandon Ingram hasn't been what the Los Angeles Lakers had hoped for during this young stretch of the 2018-19 season, and executives around the league expect the third-year player to be dealt at one point or another.
“You've got to make quick decisions [as a teammate of] LeBron. You can't hold on to the ball,” an NBA executive told Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report, noting that both the 6-foot-5 Josh Hart and the 6-foot-9 Kyle Kuzma “move well without the ball, Ingram not as much.”
Ingram has yet to reach the 25-point benchmark in a single game this season and is averaging a mere 15.2 points per game through 20 appearances in 2018-19. While scoring might not be the most just way to judge a player's overall impact, Ingram just hasn't looked comfortable sharing the court with his new star partner, as James has been doing most of the heavy lifting this season.
An NBA agent, meanwhile, expects the Lakers to first look for support pieces that fit their equation before circling the wagons on Ingram's value in search of a bona fide support star for James in hopes to capitalize in the small window of success.
“The Lakers are in win-now mode,” the agent said. “Everything is on the table to appease LeBron. They're going to make moves to bring in vets who fit around [James].”
“I think they wait until the summer to look into a big move involving a player like Ingram. That gives them more time to get the best deal.”
The Lakers won't flip Ingram for just anyone, given his youth and potential, but they are very likely to roll the dice and hope for a decent return if he proves unable to be James' sidekick for the rest of this season.
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