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EL SEGUNDO – On Monday morning, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski dropped a bombshell on the NBA reporting that superstar Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans has demanded a trade. This immediately directed the attention to the Los Angeles Lakers and whether the LeBron James-led franchise would be aggressive in making a move for the perennial All-Star big man.
With Davis now on the trading block, the question in Los Angeles is who on the roster is expendable, and that debate seems to come down to whether the team is more willing to part with Brandon Ingram or Kyle Kuzma.
Since Kuzma has become a rising star this season with some impressive offensive performances, most notably his 41 points in three quarters earlier this month, Ingram seems to be the likely candidate to be traded. This was predictably a hot topic of discussion after Monday's practice along with if the team is keeping tabs on the Western Conference standings amid their recent struggles without LeBron on the floor.
Ingram admits the team keeps a close eye on where they stand in the West. As of Monday, Los Angeles is ninth in the conference behind the division rival L.A. Clippers with a record of 26-24.
“Now we look at it a lot,” Ingram said of the standings. “We know which games are key games. Well, all are key games, but we know which ones we have to get to continue to do well in the standings. But I think before every game we just know that this is a team that we have to beat. We just try to do our best to game plan and execute.”
Although the team clearly misses James and now has to play without Lonzo Ball (ankle) along with some minor injuries to Kyle Kuzma (hip) and Josh Hart (knee), the Lakers have shown flashes of promise with a win on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder being perhaps their most impressive performance without their superstar.
The frustration level when things aren't going right can take a toll as Ingram freely admits.
“At times, I think we can get frustrated,” Ingram said. “We can be hard on ourselves a little bit, but lately, I think we've just been playing loose. Guys have been getting their shots. KCP is feeling confident in his shot. Josh Hart is getting better. Everybody on the floor has been contributing in some different way, so we just continue to get better.”
The fact that trade rumors are now swirling with Davis officially wanting out of New Orleans and having been linked to the Lakers all along won't make things any easier. However, the third-year forward isn't paying attention to all the noise.
“I don't listen to the media, whatever it is. I just play basketball,” Ingram says regarding trade speculation. “Control what I can control. come on the floor and be the best I can be and listen to the people in my circle.”
This time last year was no different. The trade chatter before Davis being linked to Los Angeles involved the team looking to bring in Paul George. It was too hefty a price for the Lakers brass to pay before the deadline resulting the Thunder making the deal for George and then ultimately convincing him to stay long-term this past summer with a new contract.
Of course, with LeBron now in the mix, things are a bit more complicated now. The pressure is on for Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka to put together a winner as soon as possible, and they desperately want to pair James with another superstar.
However, despite his name being thrown out in all of this trade speculation, Ingram is only paying attention to what the decision makers within the organization say moving forward.
“It feels that on the outside of what's in this gym. You look on social network; you look on everything else. You have all these stories of this player, this player, this player. No one in this room or the players or other coaches or the general manager doesn't say a word about it, so like I said, we only listen to the important people in this building.”
As for Davis, Ingram thinks the team that lands him via trade will be happy with the move they've made.
“Then that would be good for the Lakers or whatever team that gets him,” Ingram said of potential Davis trade. “I'm sure he'll be happy in whatever situation. He's a really good player and any team that gets him will be happy.”
