In just a matter of hours, NBA free agency officially begins, giving teams the opportunity to remake their rosters in the most drastic ways possible. One team that has already done just that this offseason is the New Orleans Pelicans, who on Friday traded for Atlanta Hawks guard Dejounte Murray. However, just because the Pels have made one big move already, it doesn't mean that they're done dealing just yet. Only instead of trading for a former NBA All-Star, they could be sending one out the door.
“With trade chatter surrounding George settling down after he opted out of his contract, as well as Dejounte Murray being traded to the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday, Brandon Ingram now becomes the focal point of discussions,” writes ClutchPoints NBA insider Brett Siegel. “Ingram is entering the final year of his contract and has been made available for trade. At 26 years old, there is still a lot to like about Ingram's game and ability to be a primary scoring option. However, very few teams have shown legitimate interest at this time in the Pelicans forward.”
There are a number of reasons why teams aren't lining up to inquire with the Pelicans about the availability of Brandon Ingram. Over the last three seasons, Ingram has missed 82 games, and given the continued growth of younger wings Trey Murphy III and Herb Jones, in addition to the Pels' commitment to run more of the offense through Zion Williamson, BI has become expendable to a certain extent.
So that raises the question, who will be the team that ends up prying Ingram away from New Orleans? The Jazz have been in the mix for a variety of potentially available pseudo-stars, and Ingram fits the bill. Additionally, the 76ers have deemed Brandon Ingram their “plan B” if their pursuit of Paul George falls short. But according to Brett Siegel, two other teams are considered dark-horse contenders to get in the mix for Ingram as well.
“The Jazz will likely internally discuss the possibility of pursuing Ingram this offseason, as will the 76ers if they are unable to land George. Two teams viewed as possible dark-horse destinations for Ingram are the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors, sources said.”
Though Ingram's trade value is something of a mystery at this point in time, from a salary standpoint, a potential deal with both the Kings and Raptors is actually pretty straight-forward. The contracts of Kevin Huerter and Harrison Barnes would be enough for Sacramento to get a deal done for Ingram, and the same could be said of Bruce Brown and Kelly Olynyk in Toronto.
But is there one more mystery team who could get in the mix for Brandon Ingram? One that has taken on a former high lottery pick with a questionable fit in the past, only to see it eventually pay off?
Could the Golden State Warriors make a late play for Brandon Ingram?
At the conclusion of his section on Brandon Ingram, Brett Siegel asks the question, “Could the Warriors possibly emerge as another dark-horse suitor for Ingram in the immediate aftermath of their failed trade talks for George?” We've seen the Warriors make a move like this in the past when they traded for 2014 #1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins back in February 2020. Wiggins' fit within the Warriors finely tuned offensive system was questioned, but just two years later, Golden State won their fourth NBA Title in the Stephen Curry/Steve Kerr era.
The Warriors were initially thought to be in the mix for Paul George, but those rumors have fizzled out. Golden State will likely be losing Klay Thompson this summer, and that leaves an opening for a player like Brandon Ingram to be able to step in to. Ingram doesn't provide the Warriors with the floor spacing that Klay Thompson did, nor is he someone who could crash the glass and impact the game defensively like Andrew Wiggins did, but Ingram has scored at least 20 points per game in each of the last five seasons.
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